A Collision Of Souls
by RySenkari
Summary: It's the sequel to last year's hit Mirai TrunksAmi romance Love In A Ruined World! New enemies attack, and they're attacking both worlds... and they've got a secret power that could be too much for even Trunks to handle!
1. Days Go By And Still I Think Of You

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

---

The woman sipped her coffee and gently brushed her hand back through her hair, while slowly letting the mysterious stranger's story sink in. She had been listening to the young man seated across from her at the kitchen table for nearly an hour, and during that time had been led on an emotional rollercoaster that she couldn't have possibly anticipated. She dropped her hand to her leg, letting the dark blue strands fall back to their usual place, just above her shoulders. She took one last sip of coffee, then carefully listened to the rest of what the young man had to say. A few seconds later, the last words of the young man reached the woman's ears.

"And that's... about it," he said, with just a hint of nervousness in his voice. He'd been able to read all of the woman's reactions, strangely familiar to him, as he'd observed them many times in his own mother. _"Ami's mom and my mom are a lot alike..."_

"Ami told me... quite a few things about her journey to your world, but..." said the woman, finishing off her coffee. "You've told me so many other details, and I.... you can't imagine how grateful I am for all the help you've given my daughter over the past two weeks. If it wasn't for you, then..."

The women bit her lip, and Trunks' face immediately curved into a comforting, reassuring smile.

"Ami's just fine," Trunks said, smiling at the woman. "You've raised her to be a strong young woman, and I love her with all of my heart."

"That's a wonderful thing to say, Trunks..." called a quiet voice from behind Trunks' back. Trunks turned to see Ami, walking into the kitchen with an empty glass in her hand. She neatly set the glass down in the sink, and then sat next to Trunks at the table. "So, Trunks, have you finished telling my mom what happened in your world?"

"Yes, Ami, Trunks did tell me..." said Ami's mother, her eyes reflecting a sad, yet understanding gaze. "I had no idea... what you went through..."

"I should have told you what Frieza did to me two days ago," said Ami, remembering her horrible ordeal at the hands of the vicious tyrant Frieza, and how Trunks had almost died trying to save her. _"If he hadn't ascended to the next level when he did, who knows what might have happened..."_

The physical scars were gone, of course, completely wiped away from Ami's body when Trunks activated the wave of magical energy that completely restored her to full strength. And though Ami sometimes didn't show it on the outside, she was very strong mentally... and the emotional scars from her ordeal were rapidly healing, with a little help from Trunks, of course. His return had been a great surprise and joy to her, and though she did expect to see him again at some later point in her life, she didn't know what she'd do if she'd have had to spend years away from him... months... or even weeks. All she could think about now was the happiness of being home, with Trunks by her side. The best of two worlds, bound together, always.

"It's... quite alright, Ami... I know you didn't want to worry me," said Ami's mother, though her quivering lip indicated that she was about to cry, just like she had when Trunks had told her of Ami's painful beating at the hands of Frieza earlier in the conversation. Being her only child, Ami was everything to Marika Mizuno, since her husband had left her so long ago. She shared a strong bond with her daughter, very similar to the one that Bulma shared with Trunks. Ami, sensing her mother's own emotional distress, quickly set her hand on Marika's shoulder to calm her down, and it quickly seemed that Ami's gesture had done the job. Trunks smiled at the two, and then looked up at Ami.

"Maybe... your mother and my mother could arrange a meeting tomorrow afternoon," said Trunks. "The device I used to get here can take several people between dimensions at once, so it would be easy for her to get here."

Ami nodded at Trunks, then turned to her mother.

"Mom, is that alright?" Ami asked. "Would you like to meet-"

"Of course I would," Marika replied, smiling at Trunks and wiping away a tear. "I think she's raised you very well also... plus, I have to thank her as well, for being a wonderful role model for Ami."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mizuno," said Trunks, standing up from the table. "I'm sure mom would love to come and meet you... and I'm absolutely sure she'll be glad to see Ami again!"

Marika rose from the table and wrapped her arms around Trunks' back, embracing him like she would a son, if she had one. 

"From what I can tell, you're an extremely kind and warm-hearted young man," said Marika. "It's a terrible shame you've had to endure the kind of life that you did in your childhood, but... you've emerged from it wonderfully, and I know that you and Ami will be happy together... I'm glad that she found someone like you."

Trunks smiled, and then slowly broke off the hug, turning back toward Ami.

  
"Ami, it was great finally getting to meet your mom... she's a really nice person, I can tell where _you _got it from."

  
Ami giggled, and then took Trunks' hand in her own, walking together with him out of the kitchen and into the Mizunos' spacious living room. Ami and her mother lived in an upscale apartment complex about a mile away from the high school that Ami attended, and a few blocks away from the residences of her friends. Thanks to her mother's job as a highly respected and very talented doctor, Ami lived quite comfortably in the roomy apartment, which contained as many rooms and as much space as a normal house would. Trunks, who hadn't seen a city in several years, would definitely have to get readjusted to navigating such a large urban sprawl before he would be able to stay in Ami's fully intact world for very long, though it made Trunks extremely happy to see so many people able to live their lives in peace, and vowed that one day, his world would have cities like Tokyo once more.

"I'm surprised my mother was as accepting of you as she was," Ami said frankly. "It's not exactly everyday you meet someone from another dimension..."

"Well, I'm glad you told her about me before I came," said Trunks. "Ami, I.... I'm so glad that my mom was able to find a way for us to be together as much as we want... I don't know what I would have done without you, I missed you so-"

Ami gently rose her hand to Trunks' lips, brushing against them with the tips of her fingers. 

"Shh," Ami said, looking into Trunks' eyes. "I... we... we can be together always now... and that's all that matters... oh, Trunks, I love you so much..."

Slowly, Ami slid her hand down from Trunks' lips, and moved her face closer to his, their lips meeting and then pressing tightly together in a quick kiss before the two lovers parted, their bodies slowly inching apart.

"Ami, I'd like to meet your friends tomorrow, if that's alright with you... the other Senshi," Trunks said. 

"Of course it's alright, Trunks," Ami said, a twinge of excitement sweeping over her as she began to think about introducing Trunks to her friends. "Tomorrow, after I get out of school, alright?"

"Alright, Ami," Trunks said. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then began to speak again. "Mom said I had to be back for supper... which, if I'm right, should be starting right about now... don't miss me too much, okay?"

"I can wait just a little while," Ami said, her lips still retaining a beautiful smile, though she did feel a hint of sadness that she would have to part with Trunks until the next afternoon. "Goodbye, Trunks..."

"Goodbye, Ami," Trunks said, leaning in and briefly kissing Ami once more on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Trunks dear," Ami said affectionately, smiling at Trunks as he slowly left the room. When the door finally closed behind Trunks, Ami turned to the kitchen, where she saw her mother, standing in the doorway. A smile was on her face as well.

"Trunks dear?" said Marika, her smile curving into a sly grin. "Ami, you never told me... did you and Trunks ever-"

  
"Of course not, mother!" said Ami, knowing that her mother was just kidding. "We french kissed a few times, that's all..."

  
"You've only known him for two weeks, dear," Marika said seriously. "Are you sure..."

"Positive, mom," said Ami. "I love Trunks with all of my heart, and I'll always love him, as long as I live."

__

"From the way he fought to save you from that monster Frieza, I can tell he loves you too... even he started to tear up as he talked about that fight," thought Marika, as Ami walked past her into the kitchen to cook dinner. _"I just hope he retains that love as long as he lives... I just want you to be happy, Ami."_

---

The following afternoon, Trunks met up with Ami as soon as she had gotten out of school that day, using his mother's invention to reach Ami's dimension, and then flying over the city until he found Ami's school, making especially sure not to let anyone see him flying through the city. It had been tough, but Trunks had managed to accomplish his task, and was rewarded by being the first person to see Ami as she left the building. She waved, and ran over to capture her lover tightly in her arms with a gentle hug.

"Good to see you too, Ami," Trunks said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. "So, how was your second day back? Are the teachers still understanding about your two-week absence?"  


"I've been working my tail off to make up all the work and catch up on my studying," said Ami, "but hopefully I'll be caught up in a couple of days."

  
"Don't let yourself get too stressed out now!" Trunks said, smiling at Ami and kissing her again as the two briskly walked down the street. "So, where are you taking me?"

"We're meeting up with the others at Rei's shrine," said Ami, navigating the streets with Trunks' hand clasped in her own. "It's not too far from here, actually... should be right about... here!"

Before Trunks knew it, he was at the entrance to Rei's shrine, where a small path clearly led the way to the structure. The two walked up the gravel path, and as they did, Trunks curiously observed everything he could about the shrine: its sights, its smells, the beautiful cherry blossoms growing all around... truly, everything in this world was alive.

"Those trees, they-"

  
"Sakura trees," Ami said, answering Trunks' question before it even left his mouth. "They're cherry blossoms."

  
"They're beautiful," Trunks replied, stopping just in front of the shrine's entrance. "I just wish we could plant them on my world... maybe just one or two, right in front of the house... mom'd just love to see them, I'm sure!"

"Maybe I'll ask Rei if we can have one to plant," Ami said, reaching over and gently stroking the petals of one of the trees. "There are so many around, I'm sure she wouldn't mind..."

"Wouldn't mind what?" Rei asked, stepping out of the shrine to greet Ami, not noticing the purple-haired young man who was currently facing in the opposite direction. "And who are-"  
  
Trunks turned around, his eyes meeting with Rei's. As Rei caught her first glimpse of the mysterious young man, with his piercing eyes, casual smirk, long, purple hair neatly tied into a small ponytail just behind his neck, and of course, his purple jacket with the Capsule Corporation insignia, her expression softened, and her palms began to tremble and sweat. A bewildered smile overtook her lips.

"And just... who might... you be?" Rei asked. _"Oh man, he's one of the hottest guys I've ever met! I wonder who he is?"  
_

"This is Trunks, Rei," said Ami.

"Hello there, you must be Rei," Trunks said quickly, shaking Rei's hand. "Ami must've already told you about me, right? It's wonderful to meet you!"

"This is Trunks?" squealed a female voice behind the purple-haired half-Saiyan, causing him to turn around and catch his first glimpse of another of Ami's friends, Mina. "Oh wow, Ami, he's even hotter than the guy I dreamed about last night..."

"You had a dream about Trunks last night?" said Lita, quickly walking up behind Mina and frowning at her. "You know her and Trunks are already a couple!"  


"Yeah, how could you?" said Serena, the bright sunlight shining across her golden hair, tied into two meatball-looking bobs on the top of her head, with long strands of hair descending down from them past her waist. "So, you're Ami's knight in shining armor...."

Serena's remark immediately caused both Trunks and Ami to blush, and Trunks broke the awkward silence by formally introducing himself.

  
"You're the other Senshi, Ami told me about you all... my name is Trunks, and it's really nice to meet all of you!" Trunks said, smiling and turning to Serena. "Wow, Ami was right... they really do look like meatballs!"

Serena recoiled in embarrassment, and her face turned a deep shade of red, to the amusement of all of her friends, now hysterical in giggles. Even Ami, who tried to suppress the laughter by keeping both hands over her mouth, couldn't hold in the growing stream of giggles from rising to the surface.

"You guys are just laughing because it came from the new guy!" Serena shouted. "Frankly, I don't see what's so good about him... Darien's much cuter, and I think his muscles are bigger, too."

"I don't think so, Serena," Mina said, pointing at Trunks' firm, muscular chest. "This thing's as hard as a rock!"

"Oh yeah?" Serena said, walking over to Trunks and clenching her hands into fists. 

"Uh, Serena..." Trunks said, realizing what Ami's friend was about to do. "I really wouldn't do that..."

The fuming Serena pounded her fist into Trunks' chest as hard as she could, and the loud scream of pain from Serena, followed by the subsequent throbbing of her now-bruised hand, immediately indicated that Trunks was right. Rei, Lita, and Mina began to laugh harder, while Ami simply gasped, her mouth wide open in shock.

  
"Serena, are you alright?" Ami asked, walking over to Serena and leaning over to check on her hand.

"I'm really sorry," Trunks said, concern appearing on his face. He also walked over to check on Serena, and gently took her hand in his. "If there's any way I can make it up to you, I-"

"It's alright," Serena said, gently pulling her hand away. "I was pretty rude to you before, Trunks, and I never thanked you for saving my friend Ami's life, so... thanks. Thanks a lot... Ami really means a lot to me, and we're all glad she's back here, safe."

  
Rei, Mina, and Lita stopped laughing, and also turned to thank Trunks.

"Trunks, you saved Ami's life..." Lita said quietly. 

  
"And from what she told us, you're a wonderful friend to her," said Rei.

"Oh, from what she told us, he's _more _than a friend," Mina said slyly, a smile on her face. "So, Ami, who _did _win that game of tonsil hockey, anyway?"

Ami blushed, and playfully nudged Mina's ribs with her elbow.

"Mina, it wasn't like that!" Ami said, giggling. 

"So, Trunks, now that you're here, you can reveal the side of the story that Ami doesn't want us to know!" Mina said, winking at Trunks. "C'mon, spill all the juicy details!"

"Girls, Ami said everything that you needed to know, I swear," Trunks said, turning to Rei. "Now, about those cherry blossoms..."

---

Meanwhile, as Trunks was meeting with Ami's friends at the Shinto shrine, another meeting was taking place at the apartment shared by Ami and her mother. Before going to pick up Ami at her school, Trunks had dropped off Bulma at the apartment, and the two had been engaged in conversation for quite some time, sipping coffee and sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, just as Trunks and Marika had done the previous day.

"Ami became like a daughter to me during her time with us, she really did," Bulma said, remembering the time she and Ami had spent together. "I really thought her and Trunks would bond during their time together, but more like a brother and sister would... until a week or so ago, the thought didn't cross my mind that they would be lovers, since the only lover I ever really knew was a lot different than Trunks."

"Yes, please tell me about Trunks' father," Marika said curiously. "I can tell that a lot of Trunks' personality comes from you, but something had to come from him as well..."

"Thankfully, I'm glad that Trunks isn't like his father, not at all," Bulma said. "His father was a man named Vegeta, the prince of a human-like race of warriors known as the Saiyans... that's where Trunks derives most of his power from."

"You mean... kind of like how Ami was reincarnated from a race of warriors a long time ago?" asked Marika. Though Serena and the other girls had tried to explain as much as they knew about the Senshi to Marika as they could, many things still eluded her mind, and there were many things about her own daughter's heritage that even she didn't know.

"The Saiyans were unlike any other race, especially Ami and the other Sailor Senshi's," said Bulma. "They were ruthless, vicious, and brutal... I don't exactly know what I saw in Vegeta during that night of passion that brought Trunks into my world, but... I still had a spot in my heart for him, despite his shortcomings... I loved Vegeta, even to the very end... the only thing I can think of that Trunks possibly takes from his father is his determination in everything he does... but unlike Vegeta, who was determined to be the strongest and most feared warrior in the universe, Trunks was determined to do something else..."

  
"And... just what was that?"

"Trunks grew up... surrounded by despair, and death... people all around him in pain, fearing for their lives... Trunks sensed their pain, and wanted to do something about it... he wanted to protect the innocent, he wanted to save everyone, make the world a better place... I told him not to fight the androids, they were too dangerous, but..."

Tears began streaking down Bulma's face, as she recalled the struggles of Trunks' early life. Marika raised a hand to comfort Bulma. She didn't know who 'the androids' were, neither Ami nor Trunks had told Marika much of Trunks' life before he met Ami, but she was told by both Trunks and Ami, and now Bulma, that Trunks had lived a tough life. She couldn't even begin to imagine that it had been _this_ tough...

"Once Trunks started to fight, I worried... I worried about him everyday, I knew that once he went out that front door that he might never return... but finally, one wonderful day, he did it... he beat the androids, and I thought everything would be back to normal... and then, of course, Ami fell right onto our doorstep, and... well, you know what happened after that. You can't even begin to imagine... how happy I am that we both met Ami.... she's touched our lives, she's touched so many lives, you don't know how happy Trunks is when he sees Ami... he loves her...." 

"I.... understand that," said Marika, looking down and seeing Bulma's tears splash against its surface. "When I found out that Ami was... that she was Sailor Mercury, and she'd been hiding it from me from so long, I... I didn't know how I felt. At first I was mad, but then of course, I was worried... I hadn't seen Ami in days, and I thought... every night I prayed that she would come back safe, every night I..."

Marika looked back up at Bulma, gazing at each other's faces. Both of them had been through the same kind of ordeal... having their only child out on the front lines of a war against evil forces that neither could possibly comprehend... but then Marika realized that Bulma's task must have been much harder. For years, Ami had kept her secret from Marika... and plus, the two of them lived in a peaceful world, surrounded by relative luxury... and all the while, Bulma went through her own private hell every single day, her heart torn by Trunks' daily departures to do battle with the vicious evil, constantly surrounded by reminders of its presence... the death, the destruction, the suffering... Marika had only known suffering, and even then, she'd only known it for a couple of weeks during Ami's absence.... it with Ami's return, it was rapidly fading away.

"My plight as a parent is nothing like yours," Marika said sadly. "What Ami has had to go through is nothing like what the two of you had to go through... I cannot possibly hope to sympathize with you, though I wish I was able..."

"Though our lives are different, you and I have been through that same incredible worry," said Bulma graciously. 

"Born into separate worlds, never destined to meet, our lives are now inextricably bound by our children's love..." said Marika. 

A moment of silence, and then...

"Damn, this is really weird," said Bulma, taking a sip out of her coffee and breaking the tension in the room. "This is really good coffee, Marika... I don't know how long it's been since I've had-"

"I'll get you another cup," said Marika, smiling and walking over to the counter to prepare another cup of coffee for her guest. As she was pouring the cup, she heard the door to the apartment opened, and when she turned around, she saw Trunks and Ami walk into the room together.

"Ami!" said Bulma, getting up from her chair and embracing Ami, who she hadn't seen since Ami left her world just two days ago. "How are you holding up?"

"Just fine, Mrs. Briefs!" said Ami, returning Bulma's embrace. "And yourself?"

"I'm doing great," Bulma said. "Still a bit sore from what happened a few days ago, but I'm sure I'll be pain-free in about a week."

"Trunks told me that Frieza attacked you as well," Marika said, pouring coffee for Trunks, Ami, and Bulma as they all sat down together at the kitchen table. "I can still see some of the bandages on your face..."

"Yes, I don't heal quite as well as your daughter does," Bulma said, "but thanks to her, I was able to make a full recovery... I'm sure Ami will be a very successful doctor some day!"

Ami smiled proudly, and turned to Bulma.

"I'm just glad you're alright, and that I'm getting to see you again," Ami said, taking a sip out of her cup of coffee. "I was starting to miss you too..."

"Your friends are all very nice," Trunks said. "I've never seen you fight together as Senshi, though..."

  
"Hopefully, you won't have to," said Ami, a serious tone returning to her voice. "I think I'm just about through with fighting..."

"Me too," said Trunks solemnly. "But I'll continue to train... just in case."

"Maybe you can train with the other Senshi, just like you trained with me," Ami said. "You really helped me out a lot in your world, Trunks... I learned some things that I never could've learned on my own, even with all of my Senshi powers..."

"I'd like it if we didn't talk about fighting _or _training for now," said Marika, smiling at Trunks and Ami. "I'm still not quite used to the idea of my daughter as a warrior princess just yet... and I might not ever be."

  
"I know it's a tough pill to swallow, mom..." said Ami, reassuringly resting her hand on her mother's shoulder. "But... the fighting is over now, and even if another evil force does come, I know that I'll be strong enough to face the evil, with the help of my friends... and I know that Trunks will always be there to protect me."

"I know he will be, dear," said Marika, getting up from her seat at the table. "Trunks, Bulma, the two of you may stay for dinner if you'd like..."

"I think I would like that, Mrs. Mizuno," Trunks said. "Thank you very much..."

  
"It's the least I can do... after all, you and Bulma did serve my daughter food for two weeks, so I should do all that I can to make it up to you," Marika said.

"Don't think that you have to... having Ami in our lives is far more enriching than anything that I could ever give," said Bulma. 

"And Ami's love is worth all the room and board in the world..." Trunks said, gently stroking Ami's face. "Ami, I love you..."

"Trunks...." Ami said softly, her lips moving ever closer to his. "I love you too, more than anything... more than everything..."

And then Trunks and Ami kissed, ignoring their mothers, who were watching them from just across the room. Anyone watching could tell that their love was true, their passion genuine... all the evidence was right there, in front of Bulma and Marika's eyes.

__

"Trunks... now you can truly have happiness... I'm so glad for you..."

"My darling Ami, I know that you're strong, even though I worry about you sometimes... I'm so glad you've found someone you truly love..."

---

And as the months went by, Trunks and Ami's love held strong. The two saw each other nearly every day, and dated at least once or twice every week. As Trunks spent time in Ami's world as well as his own, he got the chance to make friendships among the people of Juuban. He became good friends with Serena as well as her boyfriend Darien, as well as the other Senshi, Rei, Mina, and Lita. He reunited with Rosemary, Angelica, and Chamomile, now known by their new identities, Rose, Angela, and Cammy. They hadn't regained their memories of their past lives, but Trunks and Ami both knew it was probably for the best, considering everything they had gone through while living under their past identities. During these few months, both Trunks and Bulma, who had also developed a close friend in Ami's mother Marika, had vigorously studied the intricacies and histories of Ami's world, in order to acquaint themselves better with a planet where they knew they would spend a large portion of their lives. Trunks began to consider enrolling in college in Tokyo, and he knew his mother's computer skills would make it easy to create an identity for himself and Bulma, though she hadn't quite gotten around to doing that just yet. Trunks' arrival in Ami's world had slightly affected several other events, and one huge event in particular was erased from the timeline: somehow, the events surrounding Trunks' arrival in Ami's world had prevented Queen Galaxia and her minions from coming to Earth. Whether she had sensed Trunks' power and steered clear of the planet, or whether Trunks had somehow replaced her in the cosmic chain of events would never be known, for her existence would remain forever unnoticed by Trunks and the Sailor Senshi. This meant that they had lived out the next few months in peace, from the time that Frieza and Sikaki were defeated to the present day, September 10th... a date that Trunks had made sure to remind himself of every single day, even in his own world, where dates were not kept nearly as well. September 10th was Ami's birthday, her sixteenth, in fact, and Trunks wanted to make it the best day of Ami's life.

"Mom, are you ready to go?" Trunks called up to his mother from the bottom of the stairs at his house. "We don't want to be late for Ami's party!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." Bulma said, jogging down the stairs and holding the wand-like device that she and Trunks used to transport themselves between their world and Ami's. "Trunks, are you sure Ami needs that many presents?"

Bulma looked up at the large stack of presents in Trunks' hands, eleven wrapped boxes stacked nearly six feet high. Trunks gently set down the stack of presents and smiled a warm smile at his mother, noticing the long, blue dress she was wearing and the large yellow polka-dots sewn all over it.

"Mom, are you... sure you should wear that to Ami's party?" Trunks asked, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"And you're just going to wear a white t-shirt and blue jeans," Bulma said. "I'm dressed a lot better than you are, Trunks..."

"I'm also wearing this jacket," Trunks said, pointing to the purple Capsule Corporation jacket he was wearing over his t-shirt.

"You always wear that jacket," Bulma said with a giggle. "Did you wash it yesterday like I asked you to?"

"Of course I did, mom," Trunks said, smiling and kissing his mother on the forehead before picking up the stack of presents. "I've got to look and smell my best for Ami..."

"Don't forget everyone else at the party," Bulma said. She pressed a tiny red button on the surface of the wand, creating a large, black energy gate in front of Trunks and herself. "Well, are you ready, Trunks?"

  
"I've been ready to go for about fifteen minutes," Trunks said, pretending as if he was struggling to lift the stack of presents.

"Then let's go!" said Bulma, stepping into the gate and disappearing within it. Trunks stepped into the gate, taking the presents with him. Then, it slowly closed behind them.

---

The gate opened in the same place it always did, an inconspicuous, abandoned warehouse in Ami's neighborhood in Juuban. No one had ever spotted Trunks or Bulma in the process of teleporting between worlds, and they were careful that no one ever did. This time would be no different, and the two quickly got to Ami's apartment without incident, where the party was just about to get started.

---

"Where's Trunks?" Ami said anxiously, sitting in a wooden chair and facing the entrance to her apartment as the commotion of the party bustled around her, more than two dozen of her closest friends and relatives

  
"He'll be here, dear, I'm sure of it," said Marika cheerfully. "In fact, I think he'll be walking through that door any second now-"

And at that very second, as if on cue, the door opened, and Trunks stepped into the room. A stack of presents concealed his face, but Ami could tell it was Trunks just by the warm, gentle feeling of his aura, wrapping around her. She gave a squeal of delight and ran over to Trunks, who had been surprised by Ami's squeal and nearly lost his balance. He regained it, however, set down the stack of presents, and embraced Ami as she leapt into his arms, his hands gently caressing her back.

"Ami, maybe I should have left the presents at home," said Trunks jokingly.

"It doesn't matter, my present is you..." Ami said quietly, her words slightly strained by Trunks' tight embrace. "But I'll treasure whatever you give me!"

"Don't forget my presents!" Serena said, pointing to the three wrapped packages sitting by the kitchen table, where a large cake was standing in the middle, lit with sixteen glowing candles.

"Hey, Serena, one of those presents is mine," grumbled a tall boy with short, brown hair, standing near the entrance of the kitchen next to a girl, whose hair was the same shade of brown that the boy's was, only much longer. Both of the children looked to be about twelve or thirteen, and Trunks, after finally breaking away from Ami's embrace, curiously walked over to them, cordially extending his hand.

"Hey there, are you guys here for Ami's party too?" Trunks asked the boy, who smiled and shook Trunks' hand.

  
"Yeah, but mostly because of Serena... she's my big sister, you see. My name's Sammy, and I don't think we've met... Serena told me a lot about you, though!"

"You're Trunks?" asked the girl, looking Trunks up and down. "Wow, everything Serena said was right..."

"You're Ami's boyfriend, aren't you?" asked Sammy. "Ami's really nice... and if she likes you as much as she says she does, you must be nice too!"

__

"He seems really friendly," thought Trunks. _"Serena told me she had a little brother, but I've never actually gotten to meet him..."_

"And who's this?" asked Trunks, gesturing toward the girl at Sammy's side.

"My name is Mika," said the girl, smiling up at Trunks. "I'm Sammy's girlfriend!"

Sammy blushed slightly, and then nodded his head, smiling in Mika's direction.

"Mika's really nice too... last week, Serena did something mean! She tied up Mika and locked her in the closet in her room... she was trapped in there almost an hour!" Sammy said, shooting an angry glare at his sister.

"Really now?" Trunks said with a slight chuckle. "I'll have to have a word with Serena about that.... _he's a really great kid... you know, in another time, another place, another world... he and Ami might have been... well, maybe if he was a few years older..."_

"Trunks, we're about to have cake and ice cream now... hello, Sammy!"

"Hi, Ami!" Sammy said, waving at his blue-haired friend. "We're having cake and ice cream? You've got cookie dough, right?"

  
"Of course we do, Sammy!" Ami said in a friendly tone. "We've got chocolate too, Trunks..."

  
"Mmm, my favorite," Trunks said, smiling and rubbing his stomach. "I guess we should go into the kitchen now..."

Ami, Trunks, and the other guests at the party all walked into the kitchen. Ami at the end of the table, with her birthday cake in front of her and a large stack of presents behind her. The other guests stood around the table, eagerly watching her as she blew out all the candles on her birthday cake. It took Ami two breaths to blow out the candles, and Trunks, standing at her side, winced as he realized Ami wouldn't get her birthday wish.

__

"I know it's just a superstition, but... it worked for me at my last birthday, when I wished Ami would get home..." Trunks thought. _"Eh, I'm just being silly!"_

After eating cake and ice cream, the party entered into the present phase, and as Ami opened up her presents, she happily thanked her guests for every single one, finally getting to all of Trunks' presents. Most of his presents contained clothes that he had bought on his planet in the nearby towns, all of which Trunks knew would look very good on Ami, and some that he just knew would be enjoyable and comfortable for her to wear. Finally, Ami got to Trunks' last present, and as she removed the ribbon and began to peel off the wrapping paper, Trunks placed his hand over hers.

"Yes, Trunks?" Ami said, stopping herself from opening the present and looking up into Trunks' eyes. "You... want to tell me something about this present?"

"Before you open it, Ami, I... I just want to say that all of my heart and soul is in this gift, and... and it's not exactly something with very much monetary value, I mean... it's just a little memento from me to you, to symbolize our love and our time together."

  
"Whatever it is, Trunks, I promise to treasure it as long as I live," Ami said. With a nod, Trunks gently slid his hand away from Ami's and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Then, she slowly began to peel the wrapping paper away from the gift, leaving just a rectangular white box, about two feet long and one foot wide, and about five inches high.

"It looks like the box that the cake was in, only bigger," Serena said. "Is it a cake?"

"Is that _all _you think about, Serena?" Rei whispered, before the two of them were quietly shushed by the other party guests. Slowly, Ami began to open the box. When she finally set her eyes upon Trunks' gift, a small gasp escaped her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth, and a tear came to her left eye. 

"Trunks..." Ami whispered, sliding her hand away from her lips to reveal a bright, joyful smile. In the box was a large, brown scrapbook, and on the front was a picture of Trunks and Ami, standing together with smiles on their faces. Inside the scrapbook were 23 other pictures of Trunks and Ami, all of them taken by Bulma during Ami's time in Trunks' world, several months before. 

"Remember those pictures that mom snapped of us while you were visiting me on vacation?" Trunks asked, wishing to keep Ami's identity a secret to the party guests that didn't yet know it. "She got those pictures developed, and so I made this scrapbook for us..."

__

"Bulma said she couldn't get them developed, but she had the camera from a long time ago... I wonder how she..."

"Here's a picture of them kissing, wow!" Mina said, pointing to one of the pictures in the scrapbook. "They look so sweet together..."

As everyone went up to look at the scrapbook, Trunks gently led Ami out of the crowd and took her outside the room. He kissed her on the lips and then wiped the tears from her face, offering her a tissue when she started sniffling.

"Don't worry, none of those pictures will give them any indication that they were taken in another dimension," Trunks said, smiling at Ami. "Mom mixed up a few chemicals and eventually found a mixture that would develop the pictures... I think they turned out pretty good, but there are a few that are kind of fuzzy..."

"Oh, Trunks, I remember all of them..." Ami said. "Every single one of them that your mother took... it's not the pictures, though.. it's remembering when we first met, Trunks... every one of those days, even when we were fighting all of those evil forces... I didn't know it at the time, but every day I got to love you just a little bit more..."

  
"I feel the same way, Ami," said Trunks, kissing her on the forehead. "And I still do... I love you more every second I'm with you... happy birthday, Ami."

"I love you too, Trunks," Ami said, wrapping her arms around his body and leaning her lips toward his. "Thank you so much..."

And then, Trunks gave Ami the most wonderful present of all... a loving, tender kiss, the latest of many... and there would be many, many more to come.

---

But in the months since Trunks met Ami, the Senshi had never been to Trunks' world... in fact, no one had been, except for Ami, and even then, she had only visited a few times to visit the people in the nearby towns with Trunks. Several weeks after Ami's birthday, Ami proposed that she and the other Senshi train together in Trunks' world, inside the large training chamber that Trunks kept just outside he and Bulma's home. They agreed, and one day, when Trunks wanted to go back to his world, Ami and the other girls went along with him. For the first time in several months, they transformed into the Sailor Senshi, and now, they were standing outside the training chamber, ready to go inside. Trunks was already within the chamber's walls, waiting for them, and Bulma was standing outside, working the chamber's controls.

"Now, I'd have you girls sign waivers before going in there," Bulma said, "but I'm an inventor, not a lawyer. So just be careful, alright?"

"Trunks won't let anything happen to us," Sailor Moon said, turning to Sailor Mercury. "Right?"

"Of course not!" Sailor Mercury said, smiling.

"Well then, Sailor Senshi.... let's go!"

---

Back in Ami's home dimension, completely unbeknownst to Trunks or the Senshi, a terrible threat was lurking... hovering in a large space station, orbiting the Earth, someone was watching... but they weren't watching surveillance from the present. Instead, the beings inside the space station were watching visions of the past... somehow, someone had captured battle footage of Trunks' battle with Frieza inside the church, and now, that footage was being broadcast, watched by someone whose intentions were anything but good.

"Oooh, his face is so pretty... roll it back, roll it back!"

"Yes, Lady Nikashi..."

The footage was rewound, and now, the scene on the screen was that of the Ascended Super Saiyan Trunks, lying on one of the benches in the church as Frieza's deadly talons scraped across his chest.

"Such a beautiful, wonderful guy... how could someone so wonderfully pretty be so big and strong, too? His face looks even better with blood streaking down it... am I right?"

"Absolutely right, Lady Nikashi..."

"How powerful is he again?"

"His power level readings were astronomical when first detected eight months ago... and in his Ascended Super Saiyan state, well..."

"Yikes... does Exeter know about this?"

"That's why we're here, Lady Nikashi..."

"Pretty AND strong... such a lethal combination, but so beautiful as well..."

"We'll be landing in a few days, m'lady..."

"Keep me posted... I'm going to go talk to Exeter about getting prettyboy all to myself! I hope he lets me..."

---

And on that mysterious and slightly creepy note ends Chapter 1 of A Collision Of Souls! Yes, I know that some of it may be confusing now, but in a few chapters nearly everything will be cleared up... and I've got big plans for this story! Anyway, please tell me what you think by leaving a review... or don't, I'll still write, hee... but please do! ^_^  



	2. Preparing For An Unknown Foe

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

NickeyWhite2: ^_^ Thank you! I'm glad you like the couple, I know there aren't many Mirai/Ami fics out there...

Quistis Trepe05: Hmm... what questions didja have that were answered by chapter 1? I'm glad it was able to help... and don't worry, there'll be action today! (mostly training, but it'll still be exciting)

MWD: Glad you liked both fics! Thanks for reviewing!

GracedAngel1854: Alrighty, will do... here's chapter two for ya right now!

Selfless: It's okay, read the Sammy/Ami stories whenever you had time. I just wanted to put in a little inside joke for all my hardcore fans out there, hee...

---

As the Senshi followed Trunks into the training chamber, they were confronted by a large, empty room with a domed ceiling and a tiled floor. A window in the side of the chamber allowed for monitoring the conditions of the room's inhabitants, and changing of the chamber's settings to accommodate them. As soon as the door was closed, Bulma's voice could be heard throughout the room, coming through speakers in the room's ceiling.

"Is everything alright in there?" asked Bulma.

"Yes, mom... we're ready to begin the training," Trunks said. "Could we start off by upping the gravity in the room to twice the Earth's normal gravity? Thanks."

"Wait, what did you tell her to do?" Sailor Moon asked, a quizzical look on her face. "Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think I just heard you tell your mom to-"

  
The new gravity setting immediately took effect, and everyone in the room now felt twice as heavier as the pull of gravity in the chamber was increased 100%. All five Senshi let out audible groans, and their knees briefly buckled before the initial shock of the increased gravity wore off and they were able to stand fully upright. Trunks smirked, as his body was used to forces much stronger than simply twice the Earth's gravity. The Senshi, however, had different reactions.

"Trunks, I'm not sure if we're ready for this yet," Sailor Mercury said quietly, her voice strained by the gravity's force on her body. 

"Yeah, why did you turn up the gravity?" Sailor Moon shouted. "And... HOW did you turn up the gravity?"

"Guys, Trunks is the one training us, he knows what he's doing," said Sailor Jupiter, clenching her fists. "I'm ready for this, actually... it'll be a great challenge!"

  
"Jupiter is right," Sailor Mercury said, smiling at Trunks. "You made me so much stronger when you trained me all those months ago... I trust that you'll be able to help my friends just as well."

"Thank you, Ami," said Trunks. "I promise I won't let any of you get hurt... but you will all have to train hard... I'm not doing this for my health, I'm doing this for yours."  
  
Trunks gave a friendly smile, calming down the other Senshi.

"C'mon, let's just do this," Sailor Mars said. "We don't want to be caught off-guard by gravity again... remember when Rubeus subdued us with a burst of gravity?"

"Alright," said Sailor Moon, remembering the terrible ordeal she had to face when Rubeus captured her friends. They were almost killed that day... Sailor Moon had barely been able to save their lives, and she didn't want that to happen again. A new villain could strike at anytime, and even though the Senshi would have Trunks on their side, Sailor Moon knew that even Trunks couldn't defeat everything... "Let the training begin!"

"Now, when I trained Ami," Trunks said, facing the Senshi, "I taught her to focus the energy from her magical attacks into a concentrated burst, which would amplify the attack's power at the minor cost of reducing its range. If you can aim the attack well, however, it will be a very, very powerful weapon. Ami, if you would please demonstrate..."

Sailor Mercury gave a nod toward Trunks, and stepped forward, then turned to face the other Senshi. She closed her eyes and began the sequence for using one of her attacks.

__

"Let's hope I still remember how to do this..." she thought, not wanted to embarrass herself in front of her friends. As she began her attack, the Mercury Infusion Maelstrom, her most powerful, a large amount of magical energy began coursing through her body. She began to focus the attack's energies, channeling them through her arms to the palms of her hands. "Mercury... Infusion..."

"Wait!" shouted Bulma's voice from the room's speakers. "I should probably give you something to aim at by loading in some scenery..."

  
Sailor Mercury stopped her attack just in time, slightly annoyed at having to cancel her attack. Trunks let out a slight chuckle, and rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah, this training chamber is kinda small without the scenery program..." Trunks said. "The virtual scenery can vastly increase its size... that way, we won't be so cramped."

"You almost got us blasted," Sailor Moon said, frowning. 

"He said he was sorry," Sailor Venus replied. "So, when will the new scenery be-"

For the second time, the Senshi were interrupted by a change of conditions in the room. Instead of a thirty-foot wide domed room, the Senshi were now standing in a vast field, with small trees dotting the landscape every few feet or so. 

"Whoa, awesome!" shouted Sailor Mars, awestruck by the room's sudden change.

"Did your mom build all this?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Mm-hmm," said Sailor Mercury, nodding her head. "She even let me watch while she finished it... I was here when Trunks fought his first battle here..."

  
"You were at my birthday when mom gave it to me," said Trunks. "I remember that day so well..."

"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff, I wanna train!" shouted Sailor Moon impatiently. 

"Okay, okay," said Trunks, turning back toward Sailor Mercury. "Okay, Ami... fire off your attack at that tree over there, alright?"

Sailor Mercury turned toward the tree about twenty feet away from her and nodded, channeling her magical energy as her friends all watched, standing beside her.

"Mercury... Infusion..."

But just before going into her normal attack routine and allowing the large amount of energy to overtake her, Sailor Mercury channeled it all into her palms and released it as a huge burst of energy. The result was a large beam that slammed into the tree and exploded in a powerful ball of freezing ice and water, creating a large, frozen crater around the tree, which stood in the middle of a disc of ice, frozen into a brittle, twisted shape. Within seconds, the tree shattered into chunks of ice. 

"And that's how you focus your energy," said Trunks. The other Senshi turned to Sailor Mercury with expressions of shock and surprise on their faces. Sailor Moon was the first to speak.

  
"How did you... how did you concentrate your energy like that?" Sailor Moon asked.

"You have to focus on a singular point and channel your energy," Sailor Mercury replied. "That's what Trunks taught me to be able to do."

"That was incredible," Sailor Venus said, still awed by Sailor Mercury's display of power.

"Now, I'm going to help all of you focus your energy," Trunks said. He walked out in front of the five Senshi, standing at a distance of about thirty feet away from them. "Now, what I want you to do is use your attacks... on me."

"What?" Sailor Mars gasped. "Are you crazy? You'll be hurt, or even-"

  
"Trust me, I won't," Trunks said, a confident smile on his face. "Not yet, anyway... though eventually I do want all of you to be able to damage me with your attacks."

"Trunks is really powerful," Sailor Moon said, taking out her henshin stick and holding it out in front of her chest. "I'm pretty sure he can withstand our attacks..."

"Don't hold back, not at all," Trunks said. "I've already learned from Ami that when you use your attacks, the magical power involved sweeps your bodies through a series of rhythms that aim and focus on the attacks on many different points. This gives you a good range, but an unfocused attack has very little strength behind it... you might come across enemies much more powerful than those puny youmas you're used to facing."

__

"Trunks is right," thought Sailor Venus. _"And I can remember many times when my attacks didn't work... or any of the other Senshi's, for that matter..."_

"So, instead of allowing yourself to be swept through the rhythms, try to stop yourself as best as you can, and think of all the energy going down your arms and into your hands, concentrated into a ball," Trunks said. "And whatever you do, don't finish the name of your attack. That will cause its power to be released prematurely. If you can concentrate, you'll be able to control the forms that your attacks take on. I wasn't able to work very much with Ami on this, but I think you can do all sorts of things with your magical energy, creating all new attacks in any forms that you wish."

"I'll go first then," Sailor Moon said, stepping forward and activating her henshin stick, causing magical energy to begin surging through her body just as it had done with Sailor Mercury. As she began channeling the energy, she began to feel a sort of weakness that she wasn't used to feeling when her attack began, and tiny twinges of pain flared up throughout her body. _"It's the gravity... it's making it a lot harder to form the attack... but I have to keep going!"_

"She's straining to gather her energy," said Sailor Jupiter, watching Sailor Moon intently. 

"The gravity," said Trunks, confirming both Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter's theories. "It just means that fighting will be that much easier in normal conditions. Hang in there, okay?"

Sailor Moon clenched her teeth and continued focusing her energy, but soon, she found herself swept up by the rhythm and motion of the attack.

"Moon... Purification..."

"Now, Sailor Moon!" shouted Trunks. "Focus the energy and-"

  
"Panacea!"

  
A wave of magical energy rushed at Trunks, who held up his hand and let the attack dissipate against it. Sure enough, Trunks was unharmed by the attack, but Sailor Moon, whom had had a lot taken out of her by the strain of both the gravity and the attack itself, sunk to one knee, breathing heavily.

"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury shouted, rushing to her side. "It's okay... I didn't get it the first time either..."

"That's going to be really hard to pull off, now that I know what Trunks wants us to try and do," Sailor Mars said, a worried look on her face. "Every time I use my Mars Flame Sniper, it's just so natural... I start the attack and it's like I go into a trance until the attack is over... it'll be really hard to focus something like that."

"Trunks had to physically stop me from finishing my attack so that I could be able to concentrate it," Sailor Mercury said. "But after the first time, I knew exactly when I had to stop, and I've been able to do it ever since."

"I'll give it... another go," Sailor Moon said, slowly rising to her feet. _"Ugh, that's the worst part about all this gravity... it's so hard to get up... how the heck does Trunks do it?"_

"You sure, Sailor Moon?" asked Sailor Venus, closely inspecting her princess' bruised form. "That attack took a lot out of you..."

  
"One more go," Sailor Moon said, holding out her henshin stick. "I'm ready."

Trunks nodded and held his ground, ready to face another one of Sailor Moon's attacks. With a wave of her henshin stick, Sailor Moon began to concentrate her magical energies once more.

"Remember, Sailor Moon... try to stop yourself just before you finish saying the attack, and during the whole time you're charging the attack, concentrate its energy toward a single point, alright?" Trunks said, coaching Sailor Moon as she began going into the attack's natural emotions. As Sailor Moon twirled, holding up her henshin stick, she tried to keep her focus, but could slowly feel it slipping away.

"You can do it, Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mercury encouragingly. "I know you can!"

"Moon... Purification...."

Almost immediately, Sailor Moon regained control, and started to guide her energy into her palms.

__

"Wait... I'm using my henshin stick for this attack... that's where I need to focus the energy, right at the tip!"

She redoubled her efforts, concentrating all of her magical energy right onto the tip of the heart-shaped jewel at the end of the henshin stick. 

__

"She's doing it," thought Trunks, watching large wisps of energy float off of Sailor Moon's body and onto the tip of the jeweled wand. _"Incredible..."_

"Aaaaaaah!" Sailor Moon yelled, firing a large beam of magical energy straight at Trunks. The beam was glowing with an incredible white light, and large wisps of energy floated around the entire beam, giving it a spiral shape resembling that of Piccolo's Makkensappo. Trunks remembered that particular attack, and put up his arms to brace himself as the large beam of ki barreled toward him.

"That's unbelievable!" Sailor Mars gasped.

"It's exactly what Trunks was talking about," said Sailor Jupiter. "Focusing your energy and concentrating your attack... it's amazing!"

The magical beam slammed into Trunks' hands with incredible force, generating a large explosion of white light that the Senshi had to shield their eyes from. 

__

"I hope Trunks wasn't hurt..." Sailor Mercury thought, shielding her eyes from the blast. _"Sailor Moon's attack is so much stronger than mine was... she could've probably taken out Crysthea in a second with an attack like that..."_

Finally, the light disappeared, and the dust sifted up to the sky. Trunks was left standing in the middle of a large crater, floating up out of it and smiling at Sailor Moon, who was trying to get to her feet as the force of the attack hand sent her sprawling once more. Trunks began to clap his hands, but when his palms came together, a brief but painful sting caused Trunks to let out a gasp of pain and gaze down at his hands. His palms were slightly singed from the heat generated by the attack, and covered in blisters.

"Damn..." Trunks cursed silently, shaking his hands to counteract the pain. "That was pretty good..."

  
"Sailor Moon, you actually hurt him," said Sailor Mercury, looking up at Trunks. "Are you alright, dear?"

  
Trunks nodded.

"Don't get mad at her, Ami... I don't think she knew her own strength!"

"I'm not mad, I'm just amazed," Sailor Mercury said, walking over to Sailor Moon and joining the other Senshi, who were also crowded around her. "That was really great, Sailor Moon!"

"That was hard..." Sailor Moon groaned, rubbing her head. "I don't think I'll be able to do that for a while..."

"Trunks? Trunks, are you alright?" called Bulma's voice through the room's speakers, still active after the scenery change. "I had the magical power level sensors on, and I briefly sensed a power reading of over a million! Were you getting the same vibes, or-"

  
"You know I can't sense magical power very well," said Trunks, "but I think my hands can... they're stinging pretty badly right now. Good job, Sailor Moon."

__

"I only got up to about 72,000 by the time Trunks was finished training me," Sailor Mercury thought, a humbling feeling coming over her. _"I guess we all need more training..."_

"Okay, now I wanna try that," Sailor Mars said, stepping forward. 

"Hey now, blonde Senshi first!" Sailor Venus said, also stepping forward. "Sailor Moon went, so I'm next."

  
"Maybe I should go," said Sailor Jupiter, flexing her muscles. "I think I'm ready to try out this energy-focusing thing... I'm pretty sure I know just how to do it!"

"Alright, alright, you can all go," said Trunks, stepping back out to face the three Senshi. "All of you hit me with your attacks at once. Remember how Sailor Moon did it... while she was doing her attack, she concentrated and focused her energy into a single point. Don't finish the name of your attack, but wait until the absolute last second to fire off your accumulated energy. You've seen Sailor Moon do it, so it should be easy for the rest of you..."

"Be careful, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury said. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea to let three of the Senshi attack you at once... we're all pretty close in power, and you could get hurt, like you did when Sailor Moon used her attack..."

"I'll keep my hands to my side this time, and use my chest to block the attack," said Trunks. "It's a lot stronger than my palms are..."

  
"Maybe you should go Super Saiyan, or even Super Saiyan 2, like you did to save Ami!" said Sailor Moon, looking over at Trunks. Trunks simply shook his head.

"The transformation takes a lot out of me, and I don't like to use it unless I actually need it... the Super Saiyan transformation isn't a toy," said Trunks. Then, he turned to face the other three Senshi. "Whenever you're ready."

  
Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus nodded, and each of them began the motions for their attacks, just as they had seen Sailor Moon do a few minutes earlier.

"Mars Flame..."

"Jupiter Oak..."

"Venus Love Chain..."

As all three girls executed their attacks, as they had done so often in the past, they began slipping into their normal routines and began to lose focus and be swept up into the attack itself. But then they snapped back into focus, just like Sailor Moon had done. They began concentrating their magical energy into their palms, and then each of them formed spheres of energy in front of their arms, their bodies surrounded by the wisps of energy now floating into the spheres. Trunks smiled.

__

"They're really getting the hang of this..."

Just then, three large beams of magical energy came rushing at Trunks, accompanied by a loud scream from each of the three girls. One beam was red, one was dark green, and one was golden. As all three beams hit Trunks, they sent up a huge pillar of fire, lightning, and energy chains that engulfed Trunks, tossing up a generous amount of rocks and dust from the ground, along with giant fireballs and golden magical energy beams. 

__

"Trunks is right in the middle of that thing!" Sailor Mercury thought, immediately overcome with worry for Trunks. "Oh dear... Trunks, be careful!"

The fire, lightning, rocks, energy chains, and energy beams disappeared, leaving Trunks floating just above another large crater, completely unharmed. A white energy aura was pulsating around his body. He floated over to the three Senshi, who had remained standing after the attack, though all three were groaning in exhaustion. Sailor Mercury ran over to Trunks and wrapped her arms around him, relieved that he was safe.

"I'm alright, Ami..." Trunks said, returning her embrace. "Your friends are all really strong, Ami..."  


"I know," Sailor Mercury said, smiling and breaking off the hug.

"That felt great!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, pumping her fists victoriously. Sailor Venus nodded, a proud grin on her face.

  
"And on the very first try, too!" Sailor Venus said, giving a 'v for victory' sign on her right hand.

  
"Well, you guys _did _have the benefit of watching me do it," Sailor Moon said. "Still... great job, all of you!"

"Thanks for helping us focus our attacks," said Sailor Jupiter. "I feel so much stronger now!"

"Although this heavy gravity is starting to make me a bit dizzy..." Sailor Mars said, rubbing her forehead.

  
"Now that we've got the beginners stuff out of the way, we can start thinking about channeling your energy into different forms and making it even stronger," Trunks said. "You all did really well today."

"So we're going to break for lunch?" said Bulma's voice over the room's speakers. The scenery in the training chamber disappeared, leaving Trunks and the five Senshi standing in the familiar white room, the chamber's original form.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get pretty hungry," Trunks said, rubbing his stomach. "What about you guys?"

  
"You took the words right out of my mouth!" said Sailor Moon, rushing toward the door of the training chamber. "And I can't wait to replace them with food!"

  
Trunks, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus laughed. Bulma giggled, returning the gravity inside the chamber to normal and opening the door. Sailor Moon rushed outside, nearly running over Bulma in her desire to eat. 

"I haven't made lunch yet, silly!" Bulma called loudly toward her, causing Sailor Moon to stop dead in her tracks. The Senshi and Trunks began laughing again.

---

As soon as lunch began, Serena, now detransformed from her Senshi form, along with all the other Senshi, began stuffing herself with the bologna sandwiches that Bulma had placed on the kitchen table.

"Uh, Serena... you know we don't have very many of those," Trunks said, watching helplessly as Serena devoured sandwich after sandwich. Bandages had been wrapped around his palms to help them heal after Sailor Moon's earlier attack.

"Serena, you're being very rude!" said Rei, gently picking up one of the sandwiches from the table and eating it slowly. "You should slow down..."

"It's alright, I can always get more from Nihimo Town," Bulma said, taking a bite out of a salad that she'd prepared for herself.

"But until mom builds us another car, I've got to make the food runs, since Nihimo Town is dozens of miles away," Trunks said, also eating a salad. "The last car got destroyed by the androids, so mom's been working on a new one for quite awhile... it's probably been a whole year now since the androids were destroyed."

"You keep a lovely house, Mrs. Briefs," Lita said politely. During the eight months since the death of Frieza, Bulma had steadily been working on the house, trying to make it as much like the old Capsule Corp. house as she could. After Trunks first returned from the past, before he had returned to assist the Z-Fighters a second time, the androids destroyed the old Capsule Corp. complex, which caused Bulma and Trunks to move just outside the former Quadra Town to build their current residence, where they'd been living ever since. Even when Ami had been living there, the Briefs' home had a rustic feel to it, with no wallpaper and carpeting only in the living room and bedrooms. Now, the house was much nicer. Flowered wallpaper had been placed all over the house, its destroyed rooms had been repaired, and a guest room was even added for Ami, so that Trunks or Bulma wouldn't have to move to the couch. Bulma smiled at Lita's comment, thanking her kindly.

"Thank you," Bulma said. "It's been really hard, but I had a lot of help from Trunks, as well as Ami when she would stop over again. Now that the house is finished, I'll be able to do a lot more work on the car."

"Well, I'm just glad that everything that's happened to you and Trunks hasn't ruined your outlook on life," said Mina. "You're both very strong people... I don't know what I'd do if the world was messed up like it is here..."

"We'll never, ever let that happen," Ami said. "Trunks has already saved one world from a fate like this..."

  
"And you Sailor Senshi have saved your own world plenty of times," Trunks replied, sipping from a glass of orange juice. "That's why it's so important to train... you never know who could try and ruin your world next."

"That's right," Serena said, ceasing her feeding frenzy for a few seconds to be able to speak. "And just like Ami said... the Sailor Senshi will never let Earth be destroyed! And it'll be a lot easier now that you're fighting with us, Trunks..."

"Thank you... all of you," said Trunks. "I've been to three different worlds now, and I'm eternally grateful that the people on all three have been so kind to me..."

"You don't deserve anything less, Trunks," Ami said, smiling at him. "You're the most wonderful person in any world..."

"Ami, thank you..." Trunks replied, giving Ami a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Hoo boy, here we go again..." Serena groaned, simultaneously receiving an elbow to the gut from both Mina and Rei. "Ow!"

---

After lunch, the Senshi trained with Trunks for a few more hours, perfecting their energy channeling techniques. They didn't work on creating any new attacks just yet, as Trunks wanted to make absolutely sure they would be able to focus their energy before beginning any new training. Once all the training was over for the day, the Senshi detransformed again and stood outside the Briefs' house. Trunks used the dimensional transporting machine to create a gate for the Senshi, who stood just outside it, saying their goodbyes to Bulma and Trunks.

"Goodbye, guys!" Serena said, waving at them.   


"Thank you for everything!" Rei said sweetly.

Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina stepped through the gate. Ami started to go through, but then turned back and walked over to Trunks. Trunks, who thought Ami wanted to give him a goodbye kiss, chuckled slightly and began to pucker his lips.

"Trunks, before we go back... there's going to be a carnival tonight, and I'd love for you to go with us... you've never been to a carnival before, have you?" Ami asked. Trunks smiled and shook his head.

"I fought the androids at an amusement park before, but I've never actually been to a fully operational carnival," said Trunks. "Alright, I'll come with you."

  
"Great!" Ami said, giving Trunks a quick kiss on the lips. "Bulma, I'll bring him back around ten, okay?"

"You'll bring... him back?" Bulma said, a sly look on her face. "Are you his mom or something?"

"Uh... bye, mom!" Trunks said as Ami half-pulled him through the gate. "See you at ten!"

The gate closed after Trunks and Ami went through it, leaving Bulma standing alone in front of the house. She smiled and shook her head.

__

"Kids these days..."

---

"Wow, this is...."

Seeing the lights of the carnival against the night sky immediately brought a joy to Trunks' heart, reminding him that the vibrant spirit of life was still strongly pulsating, at least in Ami's world. Serena, Darien, Sammy, Mika, Rei, Chad, Lita, and Mina all ran into the carnival ahead of Trunks, leaving he and Ami alone to explore the carnival by themselves. Cotton candy booths were set up everywhere, along with booths selling other types of food, game booths, caricature booths, and many different rides, including a large Ferris wheel in the center of the large clearing where the carnival was being held. Ami immediately pointed to it, an excited look on her face.

  
"Trunks, let's ride the Ferris wheel... I know the thrill aspect of it is minimized by you being able to fly and all, but I think it would be really romantic to ride it at least once!" Ami said, a bright smile on her face. Now that Ami was deeply in love, her entire demeanor had changed, becoming slightly less subdued, especially around Trunks. Whenever she was near him, she felt a happiness deep within her soul that, at many times, found its way out into the world. Whenever Ami was happy, Trunks was happy, and her bright mood instantly lightened up his emotions as well.

"Alright, Ami.... but do you really want to ride it first?" Trunks asked. "I think we should probably eat, or play a few games first... I bet I could win you a really good prize!"

"I was going to ride it with you as soon as we got here, and then just before we left," said Ami, still smiling at Trunks. "But we can ride it whenever you-"

  
"That's okay, Ami..." Trunks said, holding her hand and smiling back at her. "We can ride it now if you want."

  
Ami giggled, then calmly led Trunks toward the entrance to the Ferris wheel. Elsewhere at the carnival, Serena and her friends were participating in the other activities. Sammy and Mika started off in the bouncy cage, while Serena was playing the ring toss game, trying to win a large, stuffed bunny rabbit.

"C'mon, you stupid ring... get around the stupid bottle!" Serena shouted, tossing the ring toward a group of empty pop bottles that had been set up. The ring hit one of them, bouncing off and falling between two rows of bottles. Serena pouted, turning toward Darien and slumping her shoulders sadly.

"Darien, would you win me a prize?" Serena said, trying to use the voice that would elicit the most pity out of Darien. Darien smiled, and then took a 50-yen coin out of his pocket, handing it to the person operating the ring toss game.

  
"Thank you, sir," said a neat-looking man dressed in a red and yellow striped uniform, handing Darien a blue plastic ring. "If you can get it around the middle bottle, you win the big prize!"

"C'mon, Darien!" Serena said excitedly. "Win me the big bunny!"  


Darien prepared to toss his ring, but just before he could, a small pink ring flew out into the field of bottles. It flew perfectly, landing right in the right spot and circling around the middle bottle. A loud squeal of delight alerted Darien to a short, green-haired teenage girl standing just next to him. She was flanked by a pink-haired girl and a blue-haired girl, standing behind her.

"Way to go, Cammy!" Rose, the pink haired girl shouted, patting her younger sister on the back. "You kicked that game's butt!"

"Your aim is perfect! Right on the money!" said Angela, the blue-haired girl.

"Yay!" Cammy squealed as the large bunny was handed to her. She hugged the bunny tightly, her arms wrapped around its chest. "Hey guys... what's up?"

"Hi there, Cammy!" said Darien. "And congratulations! Serena and I were just trying to-"

"Trying to watch you...." Serena said, her hand clamping over Darien's mouth, "...win that lovely prize! Um, so how much do you want for it?"  


Cammy giggled.

"Mr. Hoppity isn't for sale," Cammy said, still tightly hugging her new stuffed friend. "I've been trying to win him since forever..."

  
"You spent nearly three thousand yen on it," Rose said, her hands on her hips. "That's almost as much as you made today at the ice cream parlor..."

"But I'm glad you won it," Angela said. "And it's really nice to see you both here!"

"The other girls are here too... so's my little brother and his girlfriend," said Serena. "And Trunks is here too."

"That's great!" Rose said. "Maybe we'll see him and Ami around here somewhere..."

  
"They're probably on the Ferris wheel," said Angela, pointing up to the large, spinning circular ride. "We'll try to catch them on their way off."

  
"See ya later!" Cammy said happily, walking off with her two sisters, her new bunny friend still clutched tightly in her grip.

"I wanted to win that bunny so much..." Serena said sadly.

  
"Calm down, Serena... there's plenty of other things to do here," said Darien, gently taking Serena's hand. "We'll just get some elephant ears and I'm sure you'll feel a lot better then..."

"Elephant ears? Lead the way!"

Elsewhere in the carnival, Rei and Chad were taking shots at Mina, suspended over the waters of a dunk tank in nothing but a black bikini. Lita was standing next to the tank, taking money from paying customers.

"And you missed again!" Mina shouted, pulling down her eyelid sticking her tongue out at Chad. "That's nine balls in a row!"

"Aw, Rei... this game is no fun," said Chad, fumbling through his pockets.

"Buy another ball," Rei said. "I want to see Mina get dunked!"

  
"And besides, this dunk tank is making a lot of money for our school!" said Lita, smiling at Chad. 

"So think of it this way," said Rei. "The more you play, the more money our school makes!"

  
"But I don't go to your school..." Chad whined. 

---

Far above the Earth, in the giant space station orbiting above, an attack plan was being made. Standing in a small room filled with computer monitors were two very powerful magical warriors. One of them was a tall woman with long, flowing black hair, wearing a very skimpy two-piece outfit. The material comprising the outfit was leather-like in appearance, its top revealing a good deal of cleavage on the woman's chest. The woman also wore tall, red boots that went up almost to her knees. Standing just across from her was a man with short, spiked hair, silver in color. His eyes were a piercing shade of green, and his face was clean and flawless. His outfit was far more conservative than the woman's, consisting of a black vest and a pair of baggy green pants, with a brown pair of combat boots on his feet. The man looked like he was ready for a combat session, while the woman looked ready for an all-night sex party. This unlikely pair was working for the mighty Exeter, a powerful being whose strength consisted of immense magical power, with a bit of ki knowledge mixed in. But right now, the attack on Earth would be led by these two, who were arguing about just how their first strike would be conducted.

  
"Why can't I come with you?" squealed the black-haired woman in a screeching, high-pitched voice. "Why do you and your dumb soldiers get to go, and I don't?"

"Because Exeter said so, and because this isn't a mission to defeat Trunks or the Senshi just yet, it's merely a reconnaissance trip, Nikashi. We are not to fight Trunks... just yet, anyway."

"But Pandemonium... why can't I do reconnaissance? Your dumb soldiers are just going to get their butts whooped!"

"They are to engage the Senshi, not Trunks," said Pandemonium. "We will deal with Trunks personally later. All four of them will return, along with me. We will only be gone a little while, Nikashi."

"Alright," said Nikashi. "But if you _do _fight Trunks... don't mess up his pretty little face too bad, okay?"

"Tch," snorted Pandemonium, turning and walking out of the room.

"Hmph!" shouted Nikashi.

---

The Ferris wheel slowly spun forward, slowly taking Trunks and Ami up toward the sky.

"Isn't this great, Trunks?" Ami asked. "You can see all the lights of Tokyo from up here!"

The Ferris wheel came to a stop just when Trunks and Ami were at the apex of its cycle, allowing them time to appreciate the ride's full height.

"This is incredible, Ami... did you tell them to stop?" Trunks asked.

"Mm-hmm," Ami said. "The people running the ride are friends of mine... we'll have two full minutes up here!"

"Better make good use of them," Trunks said. He leaned in toward Ami, who leaned toward him in reply. Their lips met in a tender kiss, as the lights of the Ferris wheel shined brightly around them, illuminating the two lovers.

"Hey, there they are!" shouted Cammy, pointing to the top of the Ferris wheel while holding her stuffed rabbit with the other. "Trunks! Ami!"  


"Cammy, don't embarrass them," said Angela, tweaking her sister on the nose.

  
"They can't be embarrassed! They're in love!" Cammy replied, tweaking Angela back.

  
"Quit fighting, you two," said Rose, looking up at the two lovers. "Wow, they're so-"

Suddenly, a large fireball exploded just a few feet away from the girls. They screamed, and quickly dispersed, running from the Ferris wheel along with a large crowd of people who had also been nearby. Trunks and Ami, wrapped up in their sensual kiss, didn't see the fireball, or the person who had caused it, a tall woman with red hair that went down to just below her neck. The woman was wearing a shimmering red dress, and she wore long, white gloves on her hands. Something else was unique about her... she had caused the fireball from above the park. She had the ability to fly, along with her other three cohorts, who were all male. They landed next to her, standing in front of the Ferris wheel as many of the other people in the park began fleeing past them. The three men were dressed similarly, all of them wearing jumpsuits. One wore a light blue jumpsuit, one wore a light green jumpsuit, and the other one wore a tan jumpsuit. The man in the blue jumpsuit had short, spiked brown hair, while the man in the green jumpsuit and the man in the blue jumpsuit had identical hairstyles: long, straight hair, similar to Trunks' hair but not tied back into ponytails. The four villains gave an imposing presence, especially as they stood completely still while other frantic patrons dashed for safety around them. Trunks and Ami didn't see the fireball, but they did hear the screaming, and looked down to investigate.

"What's going on?" Ami shouted nervously.

"I'm not sure," Trunks said. "It looks like there's a big panic... but why?"

Trunks didn't have to look very long, as he noticed a large plume of smoke rising from just below where the woman in the red dress and her three male counterparts were standing.

"Why aren't those people running?" Ami asked.

"I'm not sure," Trunks said. "Unless... they're the ones causing this mess!"

Down on the ground, Serena, Darien, Rei, Lita, and Mina had heard the screaming as well. Mina, still dressed in her bikini, climbed down from the dunk tank and stood next to Lita, while Chad began to try and pull Rei toward the exit of the carnival.

"Rei, girls, we've gotta get out of here!" Chad shouted. "Those four are bad news, I know it!"

  
"I... I can't leave, not just yet," Rei said, stalling for time while she tried to figure out a way to transform.

__

"Crud, with all these people around, there's no way we'll be able to transform!" Lita shouted. _"Wait... of course, the portable bathrooms!"_

"Follow me," Lita whispered to Mina, who followed Lita to the row of portable bathrooms set up near the park's entrance.

"Uh, Chad, I... I have to go to the bathroom too!" Rei shouted, following Lita and Mina toward the bathrooms. _"Great plan, Lita!"_

"But where will I go?" Chad shouted. "I'm not going to leave you, Rei..."

  
"Yes you are," Rei said, pushing Chad toward the crowd of people, and then dashing toward the bathrooms. _"I just hope he doesn't get trampled..."_

"Your friends are going to the port-a-potties to transform," Trunks whispered to Ami. "I'll fly you down there, okay?"

"Are you sure you should let these people see you fly?" Ami asked. "I mean-"

"They're already scared, aren't they?" Trunks asked. "I'm going to get all the people down from the Ferris wheel first, though... stay here and don't move, alright? Call if you need me."

  
Ami nodded as Trunks floated down from the Ferris wheel and began gathering up the other people trapped in the ride.

__

"I hope you know what you're doing, Trunks..." Ami thought, leaning over the side of the ride and watching as Trunks began flying people to safety. _"I guess eight months of peace was a pretty long time..."_

"Patrick, Elbarzad, Grenate!" shouted the red-haired woman to the man in blue, the man in green, and the man in brown respectively. "Go and trash everything you can find until the Senshi or Trunks show up! We're going to pick a little fight with-"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

A small beam of fire brushed past the woman's face, making a slight burn. She whipped around to see Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus standing behind her, ready to fight. The three men turned to face them as well.

  
"I don't know who the heck you are, but you're not ruining our world, not while we're around!" shouted Sailor Mars.

  
"That's right!" Sailor Jupiter yelled. "And in the name of all the planets in the Solar System, we're going to rip all of you a new one!"

"For your information," said the woman, "My name is Flarinsa, and I am a soldier working for the mighty Pandemonium, strongest warrior in this or any solar system! We're held to a high standard of excellence, and by that, we mean strength!"

  
"If anyone is going to get ripped apart today, it's the three of you," said Patrick, an evil smirk on his face.

"And you're just the people we wanted to see," said Elbarzad. "In fact, this should be lots of fun, since it's a four-on-three battle!"

"Make it four on five!" shouted Sailor Moon, running toward the battle with Tuxedo Mask at her side. "Sorry we almost missed the fight, guys, but Sammy got knocked down by the explosion and scraped his knee, and I had to get him a bandaid, and-"

"Silence!" shouted Grenate, clenching his fist. "Hmm... not all of the Senshi have arrived yet..."

"It's no matter, we're not here to beat them all... yet," said Flarinsa. "You heard Pandemonium! Our goal is to observe... fight the Senshi and see just what they're made of."

"But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun in the meantime," said Patrick, extending his palms toward the Senshi. "In fact, I think I'll make the first move!"

---

And so, evil shows its face... and Trunks is too busy doing community service to help fight! Well, for now anyway... what did you guys think of this chapter? Chapter 3 is coming in a few days!


	3. Stronger Than They Look

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Kaiya: Hee, yeah... I kinda liked the idea of a dominatrix-esque villain going after Trunks, especially since most of my villains have been lusting after Ami. Call it equal opportunity targeting! ^_^ Or something like that. Thanks for reviewing!

GracedAngel1854: Glad you liked the chapter so much! I hope this one's even better!

NickeyWhite2: 7,000 words is great? Not for my fingers! ^_^ Nah, I see what you're talking about... hope you like this chapter!

---

Patrick's hand became illuminated with a bright, light blue glow, and almost immediately, the air began to take on a terrifying chill.

"What's he doing?" Sailor Mars asked, wrapping her arms around her chest to counteract the decreasing temperature. "It's... it's so cold!"

"I kn-kn-know...." Sailor Moon said, putting her hands over her ears as her teeth began to chatter. "But we still have to keep fighting!"

"Too late!" Patrick shouted. He pointed his hand out at the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask, sending out a large stream of icicles from his hand. The icicles flew at the warriors with incredible speed, and they had to duck to avoid being cut to ribbons by the icicles' deadly sharp tips.

"Urgh!" Sailor Venus shouted, an icicle brushing against her cheek and making a slight scratch as she dove to the ground. Blood trickled from the wound, staining her clean, white glove. "Dammit, that'll take a whole hour of washing to get out! You'll pay for that!"

"Trunks, hurry!" Ami shouted down to Trunks from the top of the Ferris wheel, as he continued to help the stranded passengers escape. "They need your help!"

"I'm going as fast as I can," Trunks said, smiling up to her. "In the meantime, they can make do with your help, Ami..."

  
Trunks quickly flew up to Ami and plucked her from the top of the Ferris wheel. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, carefully hanging on as he floated her to the ground below.

"Trunks," Ami whispered, "what about-"

"They need you, Ami," Trunks whispered back to her, kissing her on the cheek. "Go into one of the bathrooms and transform... hurry!"

Ami nodded, and dashed toward the portable bathrooms as quickly as he could. Trunks immediately resumed his task of rescuing people from the Ferris wheel, as he only had a few more left to help. Meanwhile, Flarinsa and the other villains watched Patrick, who was taunting the Senshi as they slowly stood up.

"Afraid of a few measly icicles, hmm?" Patrick asked, holding up his hand and charging it with energy again. "Perhaps I should-"

  
A quick flash of light green caught Patrick's eye. He turned his head slightly to the side, where he could see three girls among one of the last crowds fleeing the carnival. One of the girls in particular persuaded him to give her his full attention. It was Cammy, though there was no way Patrick could have known her name. Still, as soon as he saw her, he knew that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and to him, she looked even better when she was running for her life.

"Such incredible beauty..." Patrick whispered. "So-"

Suddenly, a golden energy chain wrapped around Patrick's neck from behind. He let out a loud, choking gasp, and looked behind him to see Sailor Venus, holding the other end of the deadly chain.

"I told you you'd pay for messing up my glove!" Sailor Venus shouted. "Now, I'm going to... urk!"

An elbow flew to Sailor Venus' stomach. She collapsed, her magical energy chain disappearing. Standing in front of her was Elbarzad, pulling back his arm and smirking. He turned around and extended his palm toward her face. A huge gust of wind flew out of Elbarzad's open hand, sending Sailor Venus flying back toward her friends. While Sailor Moon caught her, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter rushed forward, ready to execute their own attacks. 

"Mars Flame..."

"Jupiter Oak..."

Remembering what Trunks had taught them, the two Senshi focused their magical energy and pointed their arms at the four evil warriors, as wisps of magical energy floated into the Senshi's palms. Suddenly, Grenate, a powerful warrior of the earth element, rushed forward himself, and struck his fist into the ground. The earth began to tremble and quake beneath his fist, and the two Senshi lost their concentration, their attacks detonating in a large explosion.  


"There we go," Trunks said, helping a small boy off of the last gondola on the Ferris wheel, just as the ground began to quake under their feet. 

"Earthquake!" shouted the child, instinctively ducking to the ground and covering his head with both of his arms. Trunks shook his head, and helped the boy off of the ground.

"We've got to go!" Trunks shouted, picking up the boy and floating him over to his parents, standing just a few feet away. He handed the boy to the two parents, who nodded at Trunks and then ran out of the carnival. A loud lurching noise could be heard behind Trunks, and he looked up to see the Ferris wheel starting to fall on top of him. "Oh, crap!"

Trunks threw up both of his arms into the air, catching the huge mass of steel and iron as it fell on top of him, then lifted up the gigantic Ferris wheel and set it gently and harmlessly down on the ground. Meanwhile, the newly transformed Sailor Mercury had emerged from the bathroom just in time to see the smoke clear from her comrades' botched attack. She gasped, and ran over to help the Senshi.

"We tried... focusing our attacks like Trunks taught us..." said Sailor Mars, wearily standing up and holding her forehead.

"But then the earthquake started, and..." Sailor Jupiter stood up as well, a large stream of blood trickling down her forehead. Sailor Mercury gasped, immediately tending to her friend's wound, remarkably similar to the one she'd sustained eight months ago when Frieza slashed her with his tail. "I think a rock must have flown up and hit me or something..."

  
"Could this be any simpler?" Flarinsa shouted, cackling with glee. Granate leapt back to be at Flarinsa's side, and the earthquake he had created slowly began to subside. Elbarzad and Patrick fell back as well, the four villainous warriors regaining their formation and facing the slightly damaged Senshi. "You're all so pathetic!"

"Come a little closer and say that," Tuxedo Mask said, taking out a large, black staff. "You haven't seen any of our real power yet!"

"Really now?" Flarinsa said slyly, her finger to her lips. "Well, well, well... I just wish that boytoy of Sailor Mercury's were here... he's the one we're really after, you know."

"In that case," said Trunks, causing Flarinsa to gasp and turn around. "I guess you won't mind a little of this!"

"Not so fast!" shouted Patrick, leaping to Flarinsa's aid and pointing both of his palms at Trunks. "Mist of a Thousand Winters!"

A generous amount of freezing, stinging, transparent mist floated out of Patrick's hands and all over Trunks. The mist sifted around the half-Saiyan, who screamed and closed his eyes as a heavy layer of mist coated his face. Soon, the entire area was permeated with mist, blinding the Sailor Senshi. Trunks, who had instinctively closed his eyes to shield himself, soon found that he couldn't open them. A thick layer of mist had coated over his eyes, sealing them shut.

"Dammit!" Trunks cursed, collapsing onto one knee. Sailor Mercury, who heard Trunks voice and sensed that he was in trouble, quickly rushed to his side and put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Trunks, are you alright?" Sailor Mercury asked, intense worry lining her voice.

"No," Trunks said, slowly trying to get to his feet. "My eyes... I think they're frozen shut!"  


"How wonderful!" Flarinsa shouted, leaping in front of Trunks. The fog was beginning to clear, so Sailor Mercury could see Flarinsa perfectly. However, Trunks, eyes still sealed by the frozen mist, could not. "Maybe this will turn up the heat!"

  
"Maybe you should get the hell away from him!" Sailor Mercury replied, her soft, worrisome tone replaced with an immense anger. "Mercury Infusion Maelstrom!"  


A huge wave of freezing water blasted over Flarinsa. She cried out in pain and was knocked several feet back, and when she regained her balance, she was shivering, still in immense pain from the thick, slushy ice still dripping from her body.

"So, how do you like the ice, Flarinsa?" Sailor Mercury asked, her fists clenched. _"This is the first battle I've had in a long time... I can't be a burden to Trunks! I have to help him, just like he helped me!"_

"B-B-B-Bitch!" Flarinsa shouted, pointing her arm at Sailor Mercury. "DIE!"

A large fireball slammed into the Water Senshi's chest and exploded, knocking her into the air. She screamed, but just before she hit the ground, a pair of strong hands caught her under her arms and gently set her down to the ground. She couldn't see who had caught her, but she knew immediately who it was. The ice covering Trunks' eyes had been melted by the heat of the explosion, and he could see just in time to catch Sailor Mercury.

"Trunks..." was the only word Sailor Mercury could form as he gently set the blue-haired Senshi back on her feet.

"Thanks for helping me out while I couldn't fight," said Trunks, a smile on his face. "Let's take it to these creeps together, okay?"

Flarinsa growled, looking past Trunks and Sailor Mercury to see Elbarzad, Granate, and Patrick locked in battle with the other four Senshi and Tuxedo Mask. Bright explosions and flashes could be seen from the area of the battle, as both sides had clearly sustained a moderate amount of damage.

  
"Hey, guys... I could use some help over here!" shouted Flarinsa.

"You're not going to get any help!" Trunks shouted. "You're going down!"

  
"I don't think so!" shouted Elbarzad from just behind Trunks and Sailor Mercury. "Take this!"

A large blast of wind flew out of Elbarzad's outstretched palms. Trunks simply turned around and swatted the magical blast harmlessly into the sky. Elbarzad emitted a tiny gulp of surprise and took a step back.

"We have everything we need," shouted Pandemonium, who had just showed up and was now floating about a hundred feet above the carnival, watching the ongoing battle. "It would be wise to retreat for now..."

"Who the hell are you?" Trunks shouted, turning around to face the mysterious new warrior. The fighting stopped immediately, and all of the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask, as well as the four evil warriors, also turned to see what Pandemonium had to say.

"All in good time, my powerful friend," said Pandemonium. Flarinsa nodded, and she, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Granate all flew up to meet their leader, floating in front of him with their arms crossed across their chests.

"You can't do that!" Sailor Moon shouted. "You can't attack innocent people and then just run away!"

"That's right!" Sailor Jupiter yelled. "You haven't faced justice yet, and it's our job to make you pay for what you did!"  


"Oh, we will return to fight you," said Pandemonium. "But for now, our mission was to scout the powers of the Sailor Senshi, and try to spot Trunks... we have done both. It is a shame that I didn't get to see any of your skills, Trunks..."

  
"If you want to see them, then you'll see them right now, you coward!" Trunks shouted, his ki aura flaring up. He flew at Pandemonium and the four warriors, but as soon as he got up to their level, the four disappeared, leaving Trunks and Pandemonium all alone, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask standing helplessly below them.

"Right now, I have other matters to attend to," said Pandemonium. "Don't worry, you'll be seeing Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Granate again very soon... they're my finest warriors, though they will be needing a bit more training to defeat the Senshi. You and me will meet as well, Trunks Briefs... on the field of battle, very soon. _It is destiny..."_

With those words, Pandemonium disappeared. Trunks let out a loud cry of frustration, and then floated down to join the others. 

"I couldn't defeat them," Trunks said, his head bowed. "I couldn't even hit them with a single attack!"

"It's alright, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said, walking up to comfort him. "That man said that he would come back..."

  
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Sailor Venus, rubbing her forehead. "Those four Negacreeps really packed a wallop..."

"I can't wait to get my hand on those jerks again!" shouted Sailor Jupiter.

  
"We don't know a single thing about them," said Sailor Moon, a look of worry on her face. "Why would bad guys want to attack again? I thought that for once, we'd have everlasting peace..."

"We can never have everlasting peace as long as there is evil in the world," said Trunks, frowning grimly. "This is the day I've been dreading for the past eight months..."

"Well... at least we have a reason to train now," said Sailor Mars, trying to lighten the mood. "We should probably return to your world first thing in the morning tomorrow to start training as hard as we can."

"What about you?" asked Sailor Moon, turning to Tuxedo Mask. "I know that your powers are different from our own... you're still really strong, but I'm not sure how much Trunks' training would help you... you're welcome to come if you'd like, but-"

"That's alright, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask said. "I actually train with myself, quite often... to prepare for any evil that might show up, and to better protect you, my love."

"He's just like you, Trunks!" Sailor Mercury said with a giggle. "I'm still wondering whether or not to tell mom about this..."

  
"She'd find out eventually," said Trunks. "I'm telling mom as soon as I get home tonight. It shouldn't worry my mom too much...."

"But mine has never actually seen me fight before, and she's never really had to cope with our battling a new type of evil," said Sailor Mercury. By now, a steady stream of rain had begun to fall upon the abandoned carnival, and the water quickly drenched Trunks and the others, though they were still too stunned by the sudden attack from evil forces that they hadn't yet thought of getting out of the rain. "I just... don't know what to tell her just yet..."

"Well, if you need me to help you, I'll come along," said Trunks, brushing some of the rain out of his face. "Anytime you need me, you know I'll be there..."

  
"I know, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said, burying her face in his chest and gently stroking Trunks' rain-soaked hair. "I love you..."

  
"Guys, it's really starting to come down out here," Sailor Mars said, looking up to see a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky. "I think we should get someplace drier, don't you?"

"Mars is right... we'd better all hurry up and head on home!" Sailor Moon shouted. The five Senshi detransformed, their identities protected by the emptiness of the carnival. "Bye, everyone!"

---

"And then they all teleported away," said Trunks, sitting next to Ami atop a towel placed on the couch in Marika Mizuno's living room. 

  
"Basically," said Ami, "what Trunks is trying to say-"

  
"Tokyo is under attack by another group of villains, right?" said Marika, shaking her head sadly. "And the only ones who can stop them are the Sailor Senshi..."

"And Trunks!" Ami said brightly, pointing to the purple-haired half-Saiyan seated next to her, his arm around her shoulder. "We have Trunks this time... we'll be safe, we'll beat these evil villains quicker than we've ever beaten anyone before!"

"I hope you're right," Marika said, looking up at Trunks and Ami. "I hope you're right..."

---

On the other side of Juuban, in a relatively small two-story house, Rose, Angela, and Cammy slept silently as thunder streaked in the sky above. Their past lives forgotten, they lived out their new lives peacefully, raised by two loving parents in a wonderful home in Juuban. However, deep within their minds, their past lives remained, buried under the memories of a wonderful new existence. Never had the girls been given any reason to suspect that they had once been Rosemary, Angelica, and Chamomile, powerful servants of the Crystal Empire. But fragments of their past lives remained, slowly leaking into their dreams...

---

__

"Angela? Cammy? Where are you?"

Rose frantically ran through the halls of the house, her long, pink hair freely flowing behind her. Something was chasing her, but Rose didn't know what... suddenly, a bright flash appeared, right in front of her eyes. Then, a dark form slowly began to take shape. The pink-haired girl let out a scream, and then all was darkness.

---

Angela was on the ground, on her back, desperately crawling away from a darkness growing increasingly nearer. As she slowly crawled backward on the cold, hard ground of the cave that she was apparently in, she could sense the darkness, she could feel it drawing ever closer, something pulling her in...

"Please, let me go! I'll do anything you want! Anything!"

"I want nothing but your blood... you will die!" responded a loud, distorted voice, piercing the blue-haired girl's ears and causing her hands to fly to them, tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

"Please, leave me alone!!!"

---

__

But Cammy's dream was the darkest. The green-haired girl found herself standing in a field, all alone, as thunder and lightning mingled in the pitch-black sky above her head. The white nightgown she was wearing provided little protection from the cold rain, and the poor child quickly found herself rocking back and forth on the ground, her head between her knees, her face wet with tears.

"Get up!" shouted a voice, its intensity indicating its incredibly close proximity to Cammy. 

"No! You can't make me!" Cammy shouted. "You can't-"

Suddenly, the girl was pulled to her feet by a strong force, completely beyond her control. She quickly turned around and began to run, but stopped and screamed when she saw a tall, dark figure, looming over her. As a gigantic bolt of lighting filled the air, she could see the sadistic smile on the being's face. She began to scream again, but suddenly, her screams were muffled by a razor-sharp, metallic spike, filling her mouth and slashing its way down her throat. She could feel her lungs bursting, and then darkness overcame her.

---

"Help me!" Cammy screamed, sitting up in her bed as tears and sweat streaked down her face. A large burst of thunder sounded, Cammy screamed again, and Cammy's sisters woke up as well, their beds across from Cammy's in the large bedroom the three girls shared.

"Cammy... what's wrong?" asked Rose, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

  
"I had... a horrible nightmare..." Cammy gasped, picking up a Kleenex from the small box on the desk next to her bed and blowing her nose into it. "I was so scared..."

"I had a nightmare too," said Angela, climbing out of her bed and walking over to Cammy's. "It'll be okay... we're all safe..."

"I know," Cammy said, tightly embracing Angela. "But it all seemed so real..."

---

But the three girls weren't entirely safe. Had they looked out the window for a brief moment, they would have seen Patrick, staring at Cammy for several minutes until she was startled from sleep by her horrible nightmare.

"So her name is Cammy..." said Patrick, his keen sense of hearing trained to the girls' conversation. "She seemed so afraid in there... poor girl... wait, did I actually say that? I wonder what's making her so upset..."

  
"You spying on her like some sick voyeur isn't helping, you know," said Pandemonium, causing Patrick to turn around and gasp. "You should be getting your rest. There's another mission tomorrow."

  
"I know, but... she's so incredibly beautiful, my lord," said Patrick, starting to smile. "One day, I'm going to take her for myself, and-"

  
"We came here to destroy this pathetic planet, not to rape and pillage," said Pandemonium, a look of disgust on his face. "You may do what you wish on your own time, but right now, you are to return to base immediately. That is an order."

"Yes, my lord," said Patrick, taking one last look at the sobbing girl through the window. _"Soon, Cammy... soon..."_

"First Nikashi and her fixation on Trunks, the very warrior we're supposed to be focusing on, and now one of my four elite soldiers is lusting after some pathetic Earth girl," thought Pandemonium. _"I'm surrounded by freaking perverts..."_

---

The next day, the Senshi found themselves back in the training chamber with Trunks. Again, Trunks asked Bulma to turn up the gravity in the chamber. She switched it over to twice Earth's normal gravity, and, like they had the previous day, the Senshi began to groan and strain under the effects of the powerful gravitational force.

"I'm ready for that gravity today!" Sailor Moon declared. "I could feel some of the difference as I was fighting those bad guys last night at the carnival... fighting under twice the strain really helps!"

"Good," said Trunks. "Mom, would you please turn the gravity up to three times the normal level?"

"What?" Sailor Moon shouted, her tone immediately changing. Sailor Mercury began to say something, but realized that Trunks would never do anything to hurt her. If the gravity was too much, he would change it back, simple as that...

"I'm ready," Sailor Mercury whispered. The gravity in the room grew stronger still, and now the Senshi could definitely feel its strength, as all of them except Sailor Moon feel to their knees. Sailor Moon's legs began to wobble and buckle under the gravity's force, and she too appeared to be on the verge of falling.

"I never knew... it was this bad..." said Sailor Jupiter, slowly standing up. 

"When Rubeus... used his gravity on us..." said Sailor Mercury, also getting to her feet, "it must have been... about five times... Earth's normal gravity... and I couldn't... even stand..."

"We'll be going up to five pretty soon," said Trunks, turning toward Sailor Mercury. "Take some time to get used to the increased gravity... we'll start off with a round of jumping jacks. That should help."

"What?" Sailor Mars asked, her legs wobbling a great deal as she desperately tried to retain her balance. "What do you think this is, gym class?"

"I could throw a dodgeball at you," said Trunks, a smirk on his face. "I know it seems hard now, but this will all be worth it when you're in the heat of battle and you feel light as a feather. I should know... I train at a thousand times Earth's normal gravity."

"You WHAT?!" Sailor Venus shouted before losing her balance and falling painfully to the floor. 

  
"He has," said Sailor Mercury. "I've seen him do it... from outside the chamber, of course."

"How can you possibly stand?" shouted Sailor Venus in disbelief, trying to stand up but falling again. 

"It's because he's strong!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, gritting her teeth and doing several jumping jacks with ease, even though the gravity was pressing extremely forcefully on her body. "He's a fighter... he's got the fighting spirit, just like me! And if you want to get stronger, you have to train under the toughest conditions!"

__

"Lita's right," Sailor Mercury thought, steeling her will and resolving to keep standing. _"Trunks has the heart of a warrior beating inside of him, and I have to find that same strength within myself!"_

Despite the extreme strain on her body, Sailor Mercury began doing jumping jacks alongside Sailor Jupiter. Within a few seconds, Sailor Moon also did the jumping jacks, and soon, all five Sailor Senshi were doing jumping jacks together as the powerful gravity pressed down on them. 

"You're all incredibly strong warriors," said Trunks, "with the potential to rank among the greatest fighters the universe has ever known. I've talked a little bit to Ami about this, but now I'm going to tell all of you... your power is great, but right now, you can only release it in short bursts, with specific attacks. If you can harness the magical power inside each and every single atom of your body, you can gain an incredible amount of power that will always be within your reach! The secret is learning to concentrate that power and learning to tap in to it at anytime you wish. Those four villains out there, they're already way ahead of you. You saw what one of their attacks did to me... I was put out of battle for more than half a minute."

__

"Trunks," thought Sailor Mercury, recalling yesterday's battle while continuing to perform jumping jacks. _"I saw you, you were in pain... I can't believe one attack got to you like that... these new opponents must be incredibly strong..."_

"But before we get to that, I want you to continue the jumping jacks for a little while longer, just to get completely used to the gravity in here before the next exercise," said Trunks. "So continue jumping until I tell you to stop."

For thirty minutes, the five Senshi continued doing jumping jacks. Though it seemed like it would get harder as fatigue inevitably started to set in, the Senshi found the exercise increasingly easy to perform as their bodies became accustomed to the gravity. Finally, after thirty minutes of jumping, Trunks was ready to have the Senshi move on. He smiled approvingly, knowing that it was because of the Senshi's own strength that they'd been able to get used to the gravity so quickly. He knew that once they could tap into their powers, they'd be able to withstand so much more.

"Alright, now you can stop," said Trunks, and all of the Senshi immediately stopped their jumping jacks and began gasping and panting heavily, trying to regain their breath. Sweat was dripping down all of their faces, and they all looked exhausted, but Trunks noticed one important detail. "You're all used to the gravity by now, aren't you?"

"Yeah... it feels just like normal now," said Sailor Moon, stretching out her arms. "We are still at three times gravity, right?"

"Yes," said Sailor Mercury, wiping beads of sweat away from her forehead. "I do feel a lot different than I did when I came in here..."

"Take some time to rest," Trunks said, sitting Indian-style on the ground. "We'll rest a half hour, and then move on to the next thing I want all of you to do..."

"And what would that be?" asked Sailor Moon, following Trunks' lead and sitting down with the other Senshi. 

"I'll tell you when the thirty minutes are up," said Trunks. "Right now, I can tell that you all need the rest, so-"

"I'm actually ready to train some more," said Sailor Jupiter, standing up again. Sweat was still dripping profusely down her face, but her eyes showed an incredible willingness to keep on training. "We've got to use all the time we've got... we can't just sit around and expect to get stronger!"

"My legs hurt," whined Sailor Venus, rubbing her long legs with her gloved hands. "Can't we at least rest a few minutes?"

"Lita's right, I'm ready," said Sailor Moon. "Plus, I'm really curious to see what Trunks' training regime has in store for us next..."

__

"The Planet Power attack..." Sailor Mercury thought. _"He's going to have us use..."_

Trunks stood up, and the other Senshi who hadn't stood up already followed his lead.

  
"Alright then," Trunks said. "A while back, Ami told me about the strongest attack that the Sailor Senshi possessed... a group attack involving all of your magical energy, known as the Sailor Planet Power attack."

__

"How did I know he was going to say that?" Sailor Mercury thought, a bit confused. _"It was like I could read his mind... is our bond growing that strong?"_

"You want us to use the Sailor Planet Power attack?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Yes, but I want all of you to focus your energy and concentrate it into a single beam, like I taught you to do with your individual attacks," said Trunks. "Pour out all of your power at once and fire it directly at me... but first... mom, scenery change, please."

"Coming right up!" said Bulma's voice over the speaker. The drab white tile and stone of the training chamber disappeared, replaced by a hologram of a vast, grassy field, just like the previous day.

"Trunks, are you sure about this?" Sailor Mercury asked. "The Planet Power attack is incredibly strong, and-"  


"It could hurt me, I know," said Trunks, a smile on his face. "Don't hold back, Ami... all of you have to learn to be able to synchronize and coordinate your energies... and a concentrated Planet Power attack could be almost unstoppable. I have faith in you guys... don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

__

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Trunks..." Ami thought. Trunks floated back about fifty feet from the Sailor Senshi, who began to link hands and form a circle to use their Planet Power attack.

"Now, remember what I taught you," Trunks said as wisps of energy began to float from the Senshi into the middle of the circle. "Concentrate and focus! Concentrate and focus! Put all of that energy into a single point!

The Senshi closed their eyes, mentally guiding the wisps of energy as they floated out of their bodies. As the Senshi performed the attack, they noticed that the increased gravity made it much harder to gather energy than it would have normally been, and the Planet Power attack put an incredible strain on their bodies. They pressed on, however, and focused all their energy into a large, glowing sphere just above the circle. The energy normally took the form of a mist, but because of the Senshi's efforts, it was gathering in a single, concentrated point, just as Trunks had instructed. The Senshi began to chant.

"Sailor.... Planet..."

__

"That energy ball looks pretty big," Trunks said, looking at the glowing white sphere floating above the Senshi. _"I'd better prepare for this one..."_

"POWER!"

But instead of releasing the energy after finishing the name of the attack, the energy remained concentrated, taking the form of a large beam that barreled straight toward Trunks. Trunks could feel some of the magical energy coming off of the beam, and at the last possible moment, flared up his ki aura.

__

"This is going to be huge, I can actually feel the magical energy... what have I gotten myself into?"

The beam slammed right into Trunks and immediately detonated, creating a huge, dome-shaped energy explosion, its brilliance blinding the Senshi and sending them all crashing to their knees, as the giant shockwaves generated by the explosion began to slam into the Senshi in the attack's wake.

__

"Trunks!" thought Sailor Mercury in desperation, her exhausted body flattened against the ground. _"Oh no, I've killed-"_

"I'm fine, Ami..." came the reply in Sailor Mercury's head, taking her completely by surprised. She lifted her head off of the ground to see the dust beginning to clear from the explosion, and was startled when she realized that Trunks was nowhere to be seen, a twenty-foot crater the only thing left of the ground where Trunks had stood.. As a tear began to form in her eye, Trunks' voice again rang through her head. _"I'm in the middle of the crater, Ami... I'm fine, just stunned is all..."_

Sailor Mercury stood up and brushed herself off. The other Senshi were slowly getting to their feet behind her, but Sailor Mercury knew that Trunks was the one who needed her help. Wearily, she ran to the crater, despite the tripled force of gravity pressing down on her body. About halfway to the crater, the gravity returned to normal, and the scenery changed back as well. That was when Mercury saw Trunks, lying on the hard, tiled floor, face down. His body was twitching, and Sailor Mercury could see his black tanktop and baggy green combat pants, torn in several places. Slowly, Trunks began to stand up, and Sailor Mercury leapt into his arms, her hand stroking his slightly singed cheek.

"Trunks, what in the world...?" Bulma said loudly, her face lined with fright. "All I saw was a huge explosion... your clothes are ruined!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Briefs... that was our fault," said Sailor Moon, smiling and blushing at the same time. "Trunks told us to hit him with all we had, so..."

  
"You guys held back," said Trunks, brushing himself off. "Just a little bit, though... don't worry, Ami. Next time I have you hit me with that attack, I'll go Super Saiyan."

"You'd better!" said Sailor Mercury, a smile returning to her face. 

"Plus, you girls could've gathered a lot more energy in normal gravity," said Trunks. "Let's just see how those bad guys deal with the new Sailor Planet Power attack!"

"Well, are we going to continue?" asked Sailor Mars, stretching her arms toward the ceiling. "I'm a bit exhausted, but... I'm ready to go a few more rounds."

  
"Me too!" said Sailor Jupiter excitedly. "That was great!"

__

"I'm just glad you weren't hurt, Trunks," thought Sailor Mercury. _"And were you really speaking to me in my head?"_

Trunks smiled at Sailor Mercury and kissed her on the cheek.

__

"Yeah, that was me..." thought Trunks. _"I'm not sure how it happened, but... just a few minutes ago, I began hearing your thoughts... so I concentrated on your thoughts and tried to speak back to you. I guess it worked!"_

"I'm glad it did," thought Sailor Mercury. 

"Don't tell me you girls want to start training again!" Bulma said. "I'm over fifty, do you girls want to give me a heart attack or something?"

"That's a pretty good sign," Trunks said, turning to the Senshi. "I never gave my mom a heart attack, so you girls must be pretty strong to make that happen..."

  
"Very funny, Trunks," Bulma replied. "I'll go turn the gravity back on now. Lunch will be in an hour or so, alright?"

Trunks and the Senshi nodded, eagerly ready to resume their training. For now, they had a reason to train, and an enemy to fight... and the Senshi were confident that they could win quicker than they ever had before. Just one more battle... that's all it would take.

---

Or would it? Dun dun dun... three chapters down, this story is one-seventh of the way done! But we haven't even gotten to the exciting parts, oh no no no... thrills, chills, and a whole lot of spills are in store for Trunks and the Senshi... so keep on reading, readers! ^_^


	4. The Fighting Hits Home

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Kaiya: Well, remember, Trunks was fighting magical foes, whom he can't sense unless they're REALLY strong. ^_^ Besides, I wanted to have Ami helping Trunks out.

NickeyWhite2: ^_^ Thanks! What in particular was sweet though? I'm glad you liked the chapter!

---

Marika Mizuno sat at her desk in an office on the 5th floor of Juuban Hospital, making notes about one of the patients she'd seen earlier that day. She kept a clean office, and on the top of her desk rested only a nameplate, several pens, a notepad, and a picture of Ami, wearing a light blue dress and smiling a warm smile. Marika glanced at the picture for a second before returning to her notes, neatly scribbling down a few key facts that would help in her patient's treatment.

"Temperature is consistently 101... down from 103 a day ago, that's good... nausea has subsided... it seems like the antibiotics are working," said Marika, scribbling a few more notes. "Young Kosara has had quite the fast recovery... she's such a resilient child..." 

The office's tall, wooden door quietly creaked open. Marika looked up to see Ami walk into the room and take a seat across from her at the desk.

"Hello, Ami," Marika said, greeting her daughter.

"Don't worry, I won't stay long," Ami replied, noticing that her mother was busy with work. "The training went really well today! We quit around two and then I came right here."

"I can see that," said Marika, replying with a smile. "I'm glad it's been going well... you haven't had any trouble with being attacked yet, have you?"

  
Ami shook her head.

"No more villains yet, but we've got to be prepared for the next time they come," Ami said. "Tomorrow, we're going to train in five times normal gravity. Trunks says that once we finish that we'll be absolutely invincible!"  


Marika's eyes widened in surprise. Her smile disappeared, and Ami could immediately sense her mother's worry.

"I'm a doctor, not an anatomy specialist, but... the effects of five times normal gravity on the human body can't be very good for-"

"Trunks trains in over a thousand times normal gravity," Ami replied. "Our Senshi forms are much stronger than our normal forms, and we can withstand a lot more... plus, our bodies recover much faster."

Ami stood up, leaning over and kissing her mother on the cheek.

"I'm going to go back to the apartment now... Trunks stayed in his world, but he already said he was coming to see me tomorrow," Ami said.

"Ami, be safe... you know I love you and that I worry about you," replied Marika, looking at Ami with a hint of sadness on her face.

"It's okay, mom," Ami said as she put her hand on the doorknob. "I won't be hurt like I was by Frieza again... Trunks and the others won't let that happen to me, and neither will I."

---

Back at Rei's Shinto shrine, Rei had barely stepped through the door before her grandfather approached her, with a young, pink-haired girl by his side. Rei and the girl immediately recognized one another. 

"Rose, what brings you to the Shinto shrine?" Rei asked, reading the troubled look on her friend's face. "You look kinda worried..."

"Well, she's not telling me," said Rei's grandfather, slowly exiting the room. "I just hope she stays long enough to have tea!"

As soon as the old man left the room, Rose let out a loud, annoyed sigh.

  
"Rei, did you know your grandpa tried to put his hand on my thigh? Twice?" Rose asked, and Rei emitted a humiliated groan.

"Grandpa's a lecher, I thought you knew that already," Rei replied. "Sometimes it can be so embarrassing... that's not what you're here to talk about though, is it?"

"No," Rose said, and Rei sighed with relief. "What I came to talk to you about is something you probably won't know how to deal with, but... for the last few nights, my sisters and I have been having these horrible dreams. Every single night, they get worse and worse... Cammy even woke up screaming and crying."

"That's terrible!" Rei replied. _"I wonder what they could be dreaming about that could make them so afraid? Does it have anything to do with their past lives?"_

"I know," said Rose. "I'm just worried about Cammy, she's really having the worst dreams out of all of us..."

"Did she tell you what the dream was?" Rei replied, leading Rose into the next room, where a small flame was quietly burning on an elevated pyre.

"She said that she was in a field, and there was thunder and lightning everywhere," said Rose, beginning to shudder. "And there was something chasing her... it pushed her down, she tried to scream, but then something went into her mouth and she couldn't... and that's when she woke up..."

Rei's eyes grew wide with shock.

__

"What a horrifying dream that must have been..." Rei thought. _"When Ami was telling us about her experience in Trunks' world, the three girls... the three girls she told me about, Rose, Angela, and Cammy... she said that all of them died really horribly... I think I remember how Cammy died..."_

---

__

"After Chamomile's tornado attack failed, Frieza attacked her," said Ami. A tear suddenly streaked down Ami's face, and Ami bit her lip as she recalled the horrible manner in which her dear friend had met her demise. "Frieza, he... he slammed his tail all the way down her throat... I... I was stunned, I couldn't move... I could only watch as she choked and gasped, trying to catch her breath... and then his tail came out her stomach-"

"That's gross!" Serena shouted, tossing down the bag of marshmallows she was eating. "Are you trying to make me sick?"

"Serena!" Rei snapped. "Ami's trying to tell the story... this is exactly how it happened, and you need to listen!"

"Go on, Ami," Lita said, her voice trembling slightly. She noticed more tears coming down Ami's face, and she knew that Ami was having a very hard time telling this part of her story. "But if you don't want to, that's-"

"No," said Ami, sniffling. "I can tell the rest... just give me a few moments to... to compose myself..."

---

__

"She was dreaming about Frieza killing her," Rei thought, biting down into her lip. _"She doesn't remember anything from her past life, but in her dreams she's reliving her past death..."_

"Can you please tell me why we're having these horrible dreams?" Rose asked. "Please, Rei... I'm really desperate, and I really want to help my little sisters..."

Not wanting to tell Rose anything about her past life as Rosemary, or anything about her sisters' past lives, Rei hesitated a few seconds before saying anything.

__

"These three girls deserve to live in peace... telling them the truth might... it might... I can't possibly think about what could happen!" Rei thought. "Maybe... maybe you should... Rose, I'm really sorry, but I'm not all that good at this kind of thing..."

"I understand," Rose replied. "Couldn't we... look into the fire? At least once? I just want these dreams to go away, and if I know what they mean..."

Rei was torn. She knew the truth, but telling it to Rose and her sisters might destroy their lives... the wonderful lives and the second chance that the fates had given them. And yet, every night, her friends were being tortured in their dreams by the phantoms of their past lives... 

__

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't," Rei thought sadly. "Alright, Rose... we'll look into the flame... _what harm could that do?"_

---

"Mom, I'm going out," Trunks said, walking toward the front door of his house. After lunch, he and the girls had trained about an hour and a half more. Trunks hadn't had them use their Planet Power attack again, knowing the physical toll it took on their bodies after putting so much energy into the attack. Plus, Trunks knew he'd have to go Super Saiyan if they used it on him again... the attack did a surprising amount of damage to his body.

"You're going to Nihimo Town, rightt?" asked Bulma, walking into the room and wiping the inside of a glass with a white dishtowel. "Could you pick up some bologna? Serena ate it all, and-"

"Way ahead of you, mom," said Trunks, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. "_That Serena, eating us out of house and home... mom said she hadn't seen anyone eat like that since Goku..._ Mom, should I pick up a few vegetables too?"

"Yes, and get some apples while you're at it," Bulma replied. "I want to make a pie for your friends when they come over and train tomorrow... on second thought, bring a lot of apples. I'm making a pie for each of them."

"Ami doesn't eat very much," said Trunks. "You know that, mom..."

"I figure Serena will just eat whatever is left over," Bulma replied.

"Good point," said Trunks, opening the door. "Bye, mom!"

And with a great amount of speed, Trunks flew out the door, quickly traversing the nearly fifty miles from he and Bulma's house to Nihimo Town, flying at nearly the speed of sound. Trunks could fly much faster, but he knew the sonic booms he'd make flying at those speeds would ruin the delicate ecosystem of the slowly recovering planet, as lichens and ferns had already begun to dot the landscape. After just five minutes, Trunks was over the town, its busy streets bustling with afternoon activity. Nearly half the town was made of new homes and businesses, constructed by the residents of Quadra Town who had come over after Frieza had destroyed their homes eight months ago. Trunks had stopped by to help with the new construction whenever he could, and now that it was complete, Nihimo Town was thriving, containing over two thousand people. Trunks knew that it was one of the largest human settlements on the planet. He swooped once over the city, and then made another pass about halfway before coming to a soft landing on one of the town's busy market streets. Several people smiled and waved to Trunks, greeting him as he walked toward one of the nearby shops.

__

"I love this town," Trunks thought with a smile as he walked over to a small market tent. _"Mom and I are gonna have to live here one of these days..."_

---

Back in the other dimension, in Juuban's shopping mall, Lita, Mina, Angela, and Cammy were sitting at a table in the mall's food court. Lita was eating a large salad, while Mina had part of a submarine sandwich in her hands. Cammy had one of the other parts of the sandwich, and Angela was eating a slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Mina, aren't you supposed to be on a diet?" Lita asked.

"I am on a diet!" Mina said, taking another bite of the sandwich. "Didn't you see the commercial? That Jared guy lost a million pounds in like, a month just eating Subway sandwiches!"

"Say it, don't spray it," Angela said, using her hand to wipe sandwich crumbs that Mina had inadvertently spewed onto her face while mumbling through submarine sandwich. "And I really don't think that's how Jared did it..."

"All I know is that if you want to diet, low-carb is the way to go. I was on that Atkins thing for a couple of months, and it did wonders for me," said Cammy.

"It's supposed to be an Atkins lifestyle," Angela replied matter-of-factly. "You know... your whole life? The low-carb lifestyle?"

"Whatever," Cammy said. "Hey, did I tell you guys about the dream I had last night? It was horrible..."

"No," said Lita, putting down her salad fork. "What kind of dream was it?"

"I don't really want to say what it was... but it was horrible, I'll tell you that," replied Cammy.

"She woke up screaming and crying and everything," said Angela quietly, causing Cammy to elbow her in the ribs.

"Angela! Don't tell them that!" Cammy snapped.

"Sorry," Angela groaned, clutching her midsection. "I had a bad dream too, you know... I was on the ground, crawling away from this really, really scary person... he was yelling at me and saying he was going to kill me, and it was really, really dark..."

"That's a lot like my dream," replied Cammy, "except that I was actually attacked by the person... it was horrible!"

"Has Rose been having these dreams too?" Lita asked, slightly concerned.

"Yeah, she has... we've all been having them for the past few days... every night they get progressively worse," replied Angela. "And we all have similar dreams... in the darkness, being attacked..."

"Okay, now I don't want to talk about it," Cammy said, turning away from Angela, her lip quivering as she recalled the previous night's horrific dream. "I know I'm the one who brought this whole thing up, but could we please stop talking now?"

__

"They're all having the same terrible nightmares at once," Lita thought. _"Could this possibly have anything to do with..."_

---

"Well, Trunks, what'll ya be havin' today?" asked a kindly old woman as Trunks looked over a large display of fruit that she had placed on a table in front of him.

"I'll take about fifteen apples," said Trunks, pointing to the large pile of fresh, clean, red apples. "They look really, really good!"

  
"Fifteen?" asked the woman. "Wow, you must really like apples, son... or are ya throwin' a party?"

"It's the second one... well, sort of, anyway," Trunks replied. "I'm having some friends over tomorrow, and-"

  
"Ah, I wonder if this is about that blue-haired girl you're always with? Annie's her name, correct?" 

"Heh, no... her name is Ami," replied Trunks with a chuckle.

"So, you're hostin' her family, trying to impress her parents... the father, I assume. He's a real heart of stone, isn't he? Tryin' ta prove you're a man!"

Trunks chuckled even harder, and began to put the apples into a large, burlap sack he was holding in his hand.

"That's... not really even close at all," Trunks said. "But Ami will be over tomorrow. How much are these apples again?"

"Twenty zeni an apple comes out to three hundred zeni, please!" said the woman, holding out her hand. Trunks smiled and placed 300 zeni into the woman's palm. By assisting with the reconstruction of infrastructural systems, such as electricity and water, within the towns, Bulma received a decent weekly pension of 5,000 zeni, while Trunks did his share of work by flying people to and from certain towns, charging them a flat rate of 500 zeni per flight. Though most of the world had been destroyed, the currency system had been kept intact, though a system of bartering was also in place. What kept most people in good shape was that neighbors helped neighbors, charging low prices for food and other items, and this system would hopefully continue, at least until the world returned to a relatively normal state of affairs, completely modernized once more. With a few parting words, Trunks walked away from the woman's tent, carrying fifteen apples with him. Before he could reach the next shop, however, he was approached by a brown-haired boy with glasses, wearing a brown t-shirt and blue jeans. It was Trunks' friend Chris, also out shopping that day.

"Chris... how's it going?" asked Trunks, greeting his friend. "Out shopping too?"

"Yeah," Chris said. "It's my little sister's second birthday, and mom wants me to find a gift for her... you know, a ball or something. What about you?"

"Grocery shopping," said Trunks, pointing to the apple-filled burlap sack that he was carrying around. "Got some apples here, and after I get some vegetables and some bologna, I'll be done... need any help finding your sister a gift?"

"Nah, I think I've got it covered. Like I said, I think I'll just get her a ball... one of those squeaky ones," said Chris.

"You think they make those anymore?" Trunks replied. "Last I checked, the only toymaker in this town just makes those little rubber superballs that you can throw up against a wall and it bounces back."

"Kiara could swallow that and then she'd choke," Chris replied. "What kind of a brother would I be if I got my sister a dangerous toy like that?"

"True, true... well, I'd better get going," Trunks said. "You're sure you don't need any help?"  


"I'm sure, but thanks for offering!" Chris replied. "I'd better just head to the toymaker's house and-"

Suddenly, a large explosion blasted the roof of one of the nearby houses, creating a large gash in the top of the roof and showering rubble on the people inside. When Trunks looked toward the house, all he could see was a thin, string-like wisp of red energy lift up from the house like a whip. When Trunks followed the string up to the air, he could see that it was being held by a beautiful woman... the woman was Nikashi, and somehow, she had come to Trunks' world all by herself. As the people inside the house fled, Trunks and Chris looked up to see the woman floating toward them.

"Yoo-hoo, Trunksie-poo... I came all the way here to see you, aren't you going to say hi?" Nikashi shouted, smiling brightly at Trunks.

"Who in the hell is that?" Chris shouted. An angry scowl crossed Trunks' face, and he immediately flew up to confront Nikashi. 

"Get out of here!" Trunks shouted down at Chris. "Hurry!"

With a loud crack, the end of the whip lashed across Trunks' cheek, creating a large cut that immediately began dripping blood. Trunks cried out in pain and put his hand to his cheek. When he looked at it, it was stained with crimson.

__

"Dammit, she drew an awful lot of blood..." Trunks thought. _"I haven't felt an attack like that since my fight with Frieza..."_

"Answer me, dammit!" shouted Nikashi, whipping Trunks across the arm. This time, Trunks caught the whip in his hand.

"No," said Trunks, gritting his teeth. "And we're taking this out of town, right now."

  
"Fine with me," Nikashi said. With a yank of her whip, Trunks was sent flying out of town, his hand torn away from Nikashi's whip as the force of her pull propelled him hundreds of feet away. She smiled and flew after him, floating just a few feet away as he finally came to a stop a good distance away from the town. "Besides, two lovers should always meet in private..."

Nikashi began to giggle, holding her whip tightly in her hand. Trunks could see that the thin strap, glowing with red magical energy, must have been at least ten feet long, and from the gash it had made across his cheek, possessed incredible power.

"Who are you?" Trunks asked. "You work for that fiend that attacked the carnival yesterday, don't you?"

"Work for Pandemonium? Pssh... he wishes I worked for him," said Nikashi. "We both have the same master... Lord Exeter, of the Galactic Research Armada! My name is Nikashi, but I already know who you are... you're Trunks Briefs, and you're even more handsome in person than you are on TV!"

"Wait a minute," said Trunks, coming to a stunning realization. "This is... my dimension... how can you be in two dimensions at once? It's impossible!"

"Trunks, we've studied you for a long, long time... we have data on many different dimensions, and can traverse them with ease!" Nikashi said proudly. 

"You know, loose lips sink ships," Trunks replied. "You probably shouldn't be telling me so much about your organization... and now that you've attacked my home, I'm going to destroy you all!"

Trunks flew at Nikashi in a rage, punching and kicking at her several times. Nikashi dodged Trunks' blows with ease, her head, chest, arm, and leg movements perfectly timed to dodge Trunks' blows. 

"Oooh, you like it rough... so do I!"

Nikashi quickly pointed her hand at Trunks' chest and fired a small red sphere of energy, knocking him backward and leaving a small hole in his black tanktop. As Trunks clutched his chest, grimacing slightly in pain, Nikashi smirked, and leaned down just enough for Trunks to get a good look at her cleavage.

"I hope you're not distracted," Nikashi said, a sensual quality appearing in her voice. "Because you know, your big, manly muscles are distracting me..."

"I've had enough of this," Trunks said, throwing off his purple jacket and letting it fall to the ground below. "No more games!"

A golden glow surrounded Trunks, and his muscles immediately bulged, growing slightly in size. His hair spiked up, and then went from light purple to bright blonde in a fraction of a second. His eyes turned a bright, piercing blue. Trunks had transformed to the first stage of a Super Saiyan.

"Well now, that's a lot better!" Nikashi said, looking back up at Trunks. "You look so much better as a blonde..."

"Shut up!" Trunks shouted, flying at Nikashi and letting loose with a furious kick at her face. This time, Nikashi was barely able to dodge as Trunks' foot passed just to the side of her head. Trunks threw a punch at Nikashi, which she caught with her left hand and desperately struggled to hold back. Trunks kicked at Nikashi's head again. She caught his leg with her other hand, beginning to strain under the force of Trunks' attack.

"Not... bad... Trunks..." Nikashi said, continuing to smile even as she struggled to hold Trunks in place. Trunks remained silent, twisting his other leg up and kicking Nikashi in the side of her head. Then, Trunks drove his elbow into her stomach. The stunned woman was knocked back, clutching her stomach and forehead at the same time. Trunks remained relentless in his attack, flying at Nikashi and throwing another punch at her already bruised head. Nikashi barely dodged the punch, swinging her head to the side and leaping even further back. Then, she pointed her arms at Trunks, a flurry of glowing magical energy spheres appearing in front of her.

__

"Better get ready for this..." Trunks thought, sensing the energy from Nikashi's attack. _"I'm sensing her... that means her magical power must be incredibly large!"_

Without warning, the energy spheres flew at Trunks, stopping just as they reached him. Then, they began to circle around him, forming a twirling ring of red energy as they whizzed around Trunks with incredible speed.

"You think that's going to stop me?" Trunks shouted, his golden energy aura flaring up. "I'm not afraid of you!"

Trunks flew at Nikashi, ignoring the ring of energy floating around him. That was a big mistake. As he touched the ring, it detonated in a giant, dome-shaped energy explosion, visible for miles around... especially to the people of Nihimo Town, who began screaming and running for their lives. 

"I hope he's not dead," Nikashi said, a grin on her face. "Just incapacitated... for a long, long time!"

The explosion subsided, and the smoke and dust disappeared. Trunks floated out of the huge crater made by the explosion, slightly burned and slightly bruised. His pants and tanktop were covered with small rips and tears, and he had an angry look on his face, his eyes locked on Nikashi's.

"You... look mad..." Nikashi said, putting her finger up to her mouth. "I thought that attack would-"

  
"You should know a LOT better than that," Trunks replied. "If you've really been secretly watching me..."

"I've had enough of this!" Nikashi snapped, wiping a small trickle of blood from her lips. "If you don't want to play nice, we're not going to play at all... for now! We'll meet again, Trunks, and I just hope you'll be in a better mood!"

Nikashi disappeared in a flash of light, cackling loudly. 

"You coward!" Trunks shouted, his Super Saiyan energy aura flaring up again. "Come back right now! Come back!"

  
Trunks sighed, detransforming and floating down into the middle of the crater. He inspected his arms and legs, noticing that they were dirty with blood and smudges of dirt. Slowly, Trunks floated up out of the crater and turned back toward Nihimo Town.

  
"I'm going to go see if everyone's alright... then I'm going to go back home and get cleaned up," Trunks said quietly. "I just can't believe... that they'd attack all the way here... my home, my world... my friends... they're all in danger again! DAMN YOU, YOU BASTARDS! WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHEREVER YOU ARE... I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR ENDANGERING MY WORLD AGAIN!"

---

Rei and Rose had been staring into the glowing flame for nearly half an hour, their silence only broken by Rei's quiet chanting. 

"I'm not seeing anything..." Rose whispered. "Maybe this is-"

"Shh," Rei said, holding up her hand. "I'm just about... getting a glimpse of-"

Then, the fire suddenly burst upward, giving off a glare twice as bright as it had been giving before. Rose gasped loudly, shrieking and recoiled backward. Rei put her hand over her eyes to shield herself from the bright flames. Then, she slowly slid her hand away, staring directly into the bright flames.

"Rei, what are you... you'll be blinded!" Rose said. Rei ignored her, continuing to look into the flames. Finally, the flames died down. Rei closed her eyes and bowed her head, overwhelmed by what she had seen.

__

"Rosemary, Angelica, Chamomile... their deaths, I saw everything... their spirits are calling out to me, they want to come out... but what... what can I tell my friends? I can't tell them about their past, it would... it would hurt them! But they're already hurt now..."

"Rei?" Rose said quietly, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you..."

"I'm fine, Rose... I'm fine... maybe you should go home."

---

"How could you do something so foolish?" Pandemonium shouted, his rage flaring at Nikashi as she stood before him. "You knew that my minions and I were going to attack Trunks today!"

"But _I _wanted to go after Trunks!" Nikashi shrieked. "He's mine... he's all mine, and you're trying to ruin it for me! And I almost beat him, too!"

  
"Then why did you run from him?" Pandemonium asked.

"I didn't want to kill him and ruin our research..."

  
"Ruin our research?" Pandemonium yelled. "Nikashi, I'm going to kill Trunks... it won't ruin anything. You should have finished the job. Unless you were... scared."

  
"I WASN'T SCARED!" Nikashi shrieked.

"Well, at any rate... Ami is alone in her apartment, and I'm hoping to do her in very quickly by sending Flarinsa and Patrick to destroy her. Since she's alone, it will be a piece of cake, even if she does transform..."

"And Trunks?" Nikashi said. "Won't he-"

"He's in his world, remember?" Pandemonium asked. "There's nothing he can do to help her..."

---

Meanwhile, Ami sat alone in her apartment, watching TV in her living room and waiting for Dr. Mizuno to return home.

"Mom's running a bit late tonight..." Ami said, looking at her watch. "It's past five..."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Ami smiled, springing to her feet and walking over to the door to see who it was. She opened it, and gasped in horror.

"Goodbye," said Flarinsa, pointing her hand at Ami and blasting her with a huge fireball. Ami immediately took out her henshin stick and transformed.

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

Sailor Mercury's transformation completed just as the large fireball reached her. Recalling what Trunks had told her, Sailor Mercury concentrated her energy and surrounded herself in an aura of blue light, holding back the fireball just long enough to block it with her hand and blast it back with a huge beam of ice. The ice beam disintegrated the fireball and slammed into both Flarinsa and Patrick, knocking them back into the wall just outside Ami's apartment and freezing them to the wall in a thick layer of ice.

"Argh!" Patrick shouted, struggling to break free of his freezing prison. 

"Now you know how it feels!" Sailor Mercury shouted back. "If you can't stand the taste of your own medicine, don't be a doctor!"

"That was just stupid," said Flarinsa, her body beginning to glow red with fiery magical energy. 

__

"All I could think about was that silly thing mom said a few years back... I've really got to work on this superhero catchphrase thing, I'm getting really rusty..."

"Now die!" Flarinsa shrieked as the layers of ice shattered, freeing Patrick and herself. Flarinsa rushed at Sailor Mercury and hit her with the side of her arm, which was glowing brightly as fire coursed around it. Sailor Mercury screamed and fell back onto the coffee table, her face burning from where Flarinsa had hit her. 

__

"After everything Trunks has taught me... I'm not going to lose, not to these two!" thought Sailor Mercury, picking herself up from the table. _"I won't let Trunks down!"_

"I wouldn't get up if I were you," said Patrick, charging up an attack of his own. "But it really doesn't matter... you'll die either way!"

"No... no I won't!" Sailor Mercury shouted, clenching her fists and focusing her energy. "Mercury... Infusion..."

Sailor Mercury stopped her attack and fired off a beam of ice just as Patrick launched a similar attack. The two beams of ice energy collided, creating an explosion that coated the entire living room of the apartment in a thick, freezing layer of ice. The two warriors were tossed back, Sailor Mercury to the back of the room and Patrick to the apartment's entrance. Flarinsa pushed him aside and walked into the room.

"Ice against ice is just going to lead to a draw... I'll melt her like a popsicle!" Flarinsa shouted angrily, marching toward Sailor Mercury. "I'll-"

"Pay for everything you've done!" Trunks said, standing just outside the room. He grabbed Patrick and tossed him at Flarinsa. The two collided and fell to the floor in a heap, groaning in pain.

"Trunks!" Sailor Mercury shouted, running toward him and noticing the large bandage on his cheek. "What happened-"

  
"No time," said Trunks, pointing his arm at Flarinsa and Patrick. "I'll destroy these two in no time... you don't mind me using a ki blast in your apartment, do you?"

"It's already coated in an inch-thick layer of ice," said Sailor Mercury sadly. "Maybe your blast can thaw it out..."

"You won't get a chance to use it!" Flarinsa said, looking up at Trunks from the ground. "You weren't supposed to be here... it's not fair!"

Flarinsa and Patrick disappeared in a bright flash of light, leaving Trunks and Sailor Mercury alone in the apartment.

"Ami, are you alright?" Trunks asked, not showing his anger over Flarinsa and Patrick's sudden departure.

"Mm-hmm," Sailor Mercury said, wrapping her arms around Trunks. "Trunks, what happened to you? Your cheek is-"

"One of those... those fiends, attacked me in my own world," said Trunks. "She wasn't like the ones you guys fought, though... she was much more powerful... I had to go Super Saiyan just to be even in strength with her. I could sense her power, Ami... it was incredible..."

"I can't believe they got to your world, Trunks!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Are you sure she's-"

"I'm absolutely sure," Trunks said. "She told me herself that she and Pandemonium work for some mysterious man named Exeter... this thing goes really deep, Ami... I think we might be going up against an entire army..."

"Ami, I'm home..." Marika said, walking up to the apartment. As she got a good look inside, and she saw the thick layer of ice covering everything in the room, she gasped, putting her hand up to her lips. "Oh my god..."

Marika collapsed to the floor, fainting in shock. Trunks and Sailor Mercury quickly ran over and scooped her up into their arms, gently cradling her body.

"I guess we should... probably thaw this room out, wouldn't you say?" Trunks said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Mom... I'm sorry..." Sailor Mercury whispered.

---

So the bad guys have entered two worlds... and Trunks is getting even angrier! Can Trunks and the Senshi stop the growing threat? And what will happen to Rose, Angela, and Cammy? The answers lie ahead! Please review, everyone!


	5. Victim Of Opportunity

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Sailor Element: You don't like reviewing? ^_^ That's okay, you didn't HAVE to review if you didn't want to... but I'm really glad you did! *hugs* Thank you! 

Sonar de Mercury: Well, here's more... chapter five is on its way!  


Gracedangel1854: Glad you enjoyed this chapter... I hope you like the next one just as much! ^_^

Quisty05: Well, okay... I'm sure if you ever remember you'll tell me, right? Okay! ^_^

---

Ami set her unconscious mother gently down on the large, queen-size bed in Marika's room, trying not to harm her further with physical shock in addition to the emotional shock she'd just sustained. Trunks stood in the doorway, a look of concern on his face.

"Ami, is your mom gonna be alright?" Trunks asked, starting to step into the room. "Her lip is quivering and she looks pale..."

"Trunks, go get a washcloth and dampen it with warm water, then bring it back here," directed Ami, pointing Trunks out the door. "There should be plenty in the kitchen."

  
Trunks nodded, and briskly walked to the kitchen to retrieve a washcloth for Ami's mother. After he had used his ki to thaw out the living room, it remained slightly damp from the melted ice, and Trunks had placed a small, rotating fan in the center of the room, trying to dry it off. He nearly tripped over the fan as he made his way to the kitchen.

  
"That was a close one," Trunks said, looking through the many drawers and compartments inside the Mizunos' modestly-sized kitchen. "Now, where are those... here it is!"

  
Withdrawing a small, red cloth from one of the drawers, Trunks quickly ran to the sink and ran a generous amount of hot water from the faucet over the cloth, until it was completely soaked. Then, Trunks ran back through the living room and down a narrow hallway to Marika's bedroom. He handed the damp cloth to Ami, who neatly folded it and then placed it gently over her mother's forehead. 

"Thank you, Trunks," Ami said, flashing him a quick smile before turning back to Marika, gently holding her right hand, speaking to her mother in her most soothing voice. "Mom, if you can hear me... I just want to tell you that I love you, and everything's going to be alright.... none of us are in any danger, I promise..."

Slowly, Marika's eyes began to blink open. A drop of warm water from the cloth ran down the left side of her face, and she let out a quiet, exhausted groan.

"Ami..." Marika whispered, gripping her daughter's hand ever so slightly tighter, "is that you?"

A wave of relief washed over Ami as she realized that her mother was going to be alright. Even Trunks seemed relieved, though his relief was much harder to discern than Ami's.

"Mm-hmm," Ami replied, gently stroking the droplet of water from her mother's cheek. "Trunks is here too, don't worry.... we're both fine..."

"What happened?" asked Marika, her voice sounding much more awake. She began to sit up, and she peeled the damp cloth from her forehead, turning her head toward Trunks and Ami. "As soon as I came in, the entire living room was frozen solid... was I dreaming? I don't think I-"

"You weren't dreaming, you just fainted," Trunks said bluntly. "And yes, the living room _was _frozen... two of-"

"Trunks, shh," said Ami, gently raising three of her fingers to Trunks' lips. "We don't need to tell mom everything right away... she's had a terrible shock, and I don't want to worry her anymore..."

Ami's heart began to beat slightly faster, and she frowned sadly. Both Trunks and Marika could read the sadness on Ami's lips.

__

"I want to tell my mother the truth... but she's so worried about me being in danger... no, I can't shelter her forever, she has to know everything that's going on with me... Trunks lets Bulma know everything, and I should treat my mother with the same courtesy."

"Trunks, go ahead," said Ami quietly. "Tell mom what happened..."

"Maybe I should lie down again," said Marika, leaning her head back down on her pillow and placing the damp cloth on her forehead.

"Two of those people we've been telling you about, the ones that attacked the carnival... they came here, and they attacked Ami," Trunks said. "Ami held her own for a while... actually, she was holding her own when I got here. As soon as I came, they left."

"Clearly, I was their primary target," said Ami, looking straight into her mother's eyes. "I _was _able to defend myself, though... like Trunks said. He's really taught me a lot about my powers, and now that I've learned to control them more, I've been able to fight a lot better, and protect myself."

"Why were they coming after you?" Marika asked, quickly sitting up and then climbing out of bed, tossing the damp washcloth onto one of the pillows. "They're not... going after all of you one-by-one, are they?"

"Right now, we don't really know," said Ami, bowing her head.

"They came after me today, too," replied Trunks. "In my own world."

"If they're trying to hunt us down one by one, perhaps we should contact the others and tell them to be on the lookout..." Ami said. "My communicator watch is on the desk in my room... I'll go send a message now."

"Wait," said Marika, walking over to Ami. Ami could tell from the sad look on Marika's face that she wasn't entirely ready to accept the thought that her daughter had just been attacked in her own apartment, and Marika's eyes were beginning to glisten over with tears. Ami wrapped her arms around her mother, who tightly embraced Ami in return. "I... I don't know what I'd do if you were hurt... I love you, Ami... you're my one and only daughter..."  
  
"Mom, I know..." Ami replied, her head resting on Marika's shoulder. "All of the Sailor Senshi are going to fight as hard as they can to stop these attacks..."

"And so will I," said Trunks. "Maybe I should stay for supper and talk with you guys... it might give us a chance to prepare a way to keep you and Ami from getting hurt."

"Good idea," said Marika, breaking the hug and walking toward the door. "Thank you... both of you, for helping me... the living room's not still frozen, is it?"

"Thawed it out myself," Trunks said proudly. "Only took a few seconds... it's still damp, though, so watch the fan."  


"I will," replied Marika. "Thank you."  


"And I'll go contact the others," said Ami, walking down the hall toward her own bedroom. "I just hope I can reach all of them..."

---

Meanwhile, Rei was walking Rose home from the Shinto shrine. The house that Rose, Angela, and Cammy lived in wasn't too far from the shrine, and so it didn't take the two girls very long to get there. As they reached the front porch, they stopped to say their goodbyes. Rei still hadn't told Rose anything about what she'd seen in the flame, and Rose was becoming more and more curious, and more and more desperate to find out.

"Rei, why can't you tell me?" Rose asked. "Don't tell me it's none of my business... it's my dreams, and so it _is _my business!"

"You wouldn't understand, Rose..." Rei said, trying to put it as gently as she could. "If I told you, then..."

Suddenly, the communicator on Rei's wrist began to ring. Rei gasped, realizing she couldn't take out her communicator in public without revealing her identity. 

"Rei, I think your cell phone's ringing..." Rose said. "You should probably see who it is... I'll just go inside, okay? It was nice spending time with you today... and thank you for helping me with my bad dreams... even though you didn't really help me because you didn't tell me what the flame said, and-"

"It's not my cell phone," said Rei, trying to think of a good excuse as her communicator beeped again. "It's my, uh... uh... my-"

"It's coming from your wrist!" Rose asked, trying to pull up the sleeve on Rei's white shirt. "What could that possibly-"

  
Suddenly, a sharp, concentrated magical needle, made entirely of wind, smashed into Rei's wrist and shattered her communicator instantly. Rei was sent flying back into the door of the house, while Rose was knocked clear off the porch and onto her back on the ground. Her head hit with a loud smack, but she remained conscious, slowly climbing to her feet to see what had happened. Rei stumbled away from the door, but gasped when she saw who was standing in the street facing the house. Two of Pandemonium's henchmen, Elbarzad and Granate, were standing just a few feet away, smiling viciously. Elbarzad's finger was pointed at Rei's wrist, and Rei immediately knew it was him who had destroyed her communicator.

"Rei, are you alright?" Rose shouted, running up onto the porch and looking down at Rei's arm. "Who are those people?"

"No one," Rei said, rubbing her wrist as the smoldering fragments of her communicator fell to the ground. _"Dammit, not now..._ Rose, you should get out of here!"

"Neither of you are leaving!" shouted Granate, pointing his arm at the scared and surprised girls. "Either of you tries, and there's going to be an earthquake in Juuban... with its epicenter right under this house!"

"No! My parents are inside!" Rose shouted, curling up her fists and taking a fighting stance. "I... I won't let you hurt them!"

"You have to stay back!" Rei shouted, extending her arm out in front of Rose in an attempt to block her path. _"I have to transform... but I can't do it in front of Rose... can I? She's been my friend for months now... I know I can trust her, but... will my transformation trigger something inside of her? I don't know what to do!"_

"You don't scare us," Elbarzad said. "In fact, you two are the ones who look scared... especially you, Rei. Can't you end this pathetic little game right now and show us what you're really made of?"

  
"What's he talking about, Rei?" Rose asked. "And how does he know your name...?"  


"And I've heard _enough _out of you!" Elbarzad shouted. Suddenly, a tiny gust of wind appeared right under Rose, blowing her off her feet and off of the porch. She was picked up by the wind and blown several feet, hitting the hard cement of the front walkway again, her leg taking most of the impact. She screamed as the hard cement tore off some of the layers of skin on her knee, giving her a mostly superficial, but still bleeding wound. Elbarzad and Granate began to laugh in amusement as the pink-haired girl looked down at her skinned knee.

"That hurt!" Rose shouted, her hurt leg wobbling as she stood up. "Owww..."

"That does it, I can't let this go on!" Rei shouted, taking out her transformation wand. "Mars... Crystal... Power!"

Within seconds, Rei was transformed into the Senshi of Fire, Sailor Mars. The two evil warriors smiled, while Rose simply looked her friend Rei up and down in disbelief.

"You... I can't believe it, _you're _a Sailor Senshi? I've heard about them before, but I've never actually seen-"

"Rose, you can't tell anyone," Sailor Mars said, walking up to her friend and looking down at her knee. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Rose said, nodding her head. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"

"Of course not," Granate shouted. "Dead people don't talk!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake between Sailor Mars and Rose's feet. Rose let out a scream, while Sailor Mars simply stood her ground as the ground started to crack beneath her.

__

"I'm not backing down from you two... you're evil, and you must be punished!"

---

"Mmm... oh, Darien, kiss me again..."

While Serena's parents were out taking Sammy to the mall, Serena and Darien were left on their own. Almost immediately, they began to make out on the living room couch, with no one to bother them... except for the loud ringing of Serena's communication watch.

"Oh darn, what is it now?" Serena whined.

"It's your communication watch," Darien said, sitting up and brushing himself off. "You should probably answer it, Serena."

Serena lifted up the sleeve on the blue sweater she was wearing and put the watch to her lips.

"Yes, what is it?" Serena asked, annoyed that her make-out session had been interrupted.

"It's just Ami... I just wanted to tell you that two of Pandemonium's henchmen came after me today, but Trunks and I were able to fight them off. Have you been attacked in any way?"

"Well, unless you count yummy kisses as an attack," said Serena, unaware of the magnitude of the situation, "and Darien as one of Pandemonium's henchmen... then no, I haven't."

"I see," said Ami, annoyance beginning to show in her voice as well. "Well, I was just checking... Rei didn't answer her watch, and I'm getting a bit worried..."

"She probably didn't have it on," said Serena. "You know we can't answer the watch if it rings in public... and even if she did have it on, maybe she couldn't find anywhere secluded to answer."

"Are you alright, Ami?" Darien asked.

"Trunks and I are both fine... well, I'm going to call Lita and Mina now, so I'll let you both get back to what you were doing. I'm sorry if I interrupted anything."

"It's about time," said Serena, taking off her watch and placing it under the couch.

"Serena, don't you care that your friends might be in danger?" Darien asked. Serena smiled.

"Darien, we've got _Trunks _on our side now," said Serena. "Do you know what that means? He's super-tough, and super handsome too... maybe even moreso than you, Darien..."  
  
"Serena!" Darien shouted, but he knew from experience that Serena was most likely joking around.

"Just kidding, Darien..." Serena said with a giggle. "Mind if we get back to what we were doing?"

"Alright then, Serena," said Darien, wrapping his arms around Serena's back and leaning in to give her a kiss. "But I just hope your friends will be alright..."

"They'll be _fine_," Serena replied. _"Yeah, I know that Trunks can't do everything, but... I haven't seen any of those guys yet that can take him on!"_

---

"Well, I called all of them," said Ami, walking into the kitchen just as Trunks and Marika were sitting down to eat supper. "Rei didn't answer hers... Serena did, and said that Rei might just be unable to answer because she couldn't find a place _to _answer without getting caught. Lita and Mina were just about to take Angela and Cammy home from the mall."

"So they're all okay?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah... except for Rei, but I'm pretty sure she's fine too," said Ami. "I think she's supposed to be at the Shinto shrine with Rose today... maybe she's just in the middle of conducting a fire reading and didn't want to be interrupted."

"Not to be selfish or rude or anything, because I like all of your friends, it's just... why did they go after you, and not any of them?" Marika asked. "And they also went after Trunks... would there be any particular reason these guys would have a vendetta against just the two of you? Anything you did in your world that villains might want to exact revenge for?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with Frieza," said Ami.

  
"I know it's not," Trunks replied. "I eradicated that bastard, and right now, he's burning in hell where he belongs."

  
"Trunks, please... please don't say those kinds of things at the table," said Marika.

"Sorry," Trunks replied. "It's just that... the thought of Frieza still makes my blood boil... the thought of everything he did to Ami..."

"I understand, Trunks," Ami said, placing her hand on Trunks' as he rested it on the table. "Maybe this has something to do with Crysthea... she was also wiped out in Trunks' world, maybe the remnants of her Crystal Empire have returned to exact revenge..."

"They do know a lot about that teleporting and gate stuff," said Trunks. "You might be right, Ami... all the stuff that's happening might be Crysthea's doing. But... no, no, that's not it at all... now I remember everything!"

---

__

"Who are you?" Trunks asked. "You work for that fiend that attacked the carnival yesterday, don't you?"

"Work for Pandemonium? Pssh... he wishes I worked for him," said Nikashi. "We both have the same master... Lord Exeter, of the Galactic Research Armada! My name is Nikashi, but I already know who you are... you're Trunks Briefs, and you're even more handsome in person than you are on TV!"

"Wait a minute," said Trunks, coming to a stunning realization. "This is... my dimension... how can you be in two dimensions at once? It's impossible!"

"Trunks, we've studied you for a long, long time... we have data on many different dimensions, and can traverse them with ease!" Nikashi said proudly. 

---

"Lord Exeter, of the Galactic Research Armanda... THAT'S who all of them work for," Trunks said. "That's what Nikashi told me."

"I don't understand any of this," Marika replied, "but I'm getting more and more worried by the second..."

"Mom, it's alright... Trunks is very powerful, and he's helping the Sailor Senshi to get more powerful too... we're becoming stronger and stronger, each and every single day!"

"That woman I fought, Nikashi... she had so much power... I've never felt a power like hers before, at least not one using magical energy as a primary form of attack... I had to go Super Saiyan just to keep up with her..."

"Trunks, you already told me," Ami replied. She pointed at Marika, who had begun to tremble when Trunks had described Nikashi's strength, then whispered in Trunks ear. "All you're doing now is worrying my mother... please, when talking about the strongest of our foes, only discuss them in front of me or the other Senshi..."  


"Ami, I thought Trunks was powerful enough to beat these monsters!" Marika shouted, her hands tightly gripping the blue and white striped tablecloth on the kitchen table. "Do you mean to tell me that even he can't take these people on?"  


"Miss Mizuno, I didn't say she was even with me at Super Saiyan level two... I still have that form as a trump card," said Trunks. "And believe me, the next time I get a chance to face that woman, I _will _use it."

Trunks stood up and put a comforting hand on Marika's shoulder. Marika seemed calmed by Trunks' words, and slowly sat back down in her chair.

"Now, if it will make the two of you feel a bit better... I can stay here tonight if you want me to. Don't worry about making arrangements for me, I could sleep on the couch, or the floor in the living room.... I don't mind," said Trunks.

"Are you sure your mom will be okay with it, Trunks?" Marika asked. Trunks nodded.

"I didn't tell mom I'd be staying, but I'm sure she won't mind," Trunks replied. 

"We've got a couple of sleeping bags in the closet... I could set them up in the living room and you and Ami could use them..." said Marika. "If you'd want to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag, Ami..."

"You mean, in the same room with Trunks?" Ami asked, looking back and forth between Trunks and Marika, as a rosy blush began to appear on her face. "But... but wouldn't that be... I mean, I wouldn't mind, of course, but-"  


"We could even push them together!" said Marika, beginning to smile. "They're separate sleeping bags... I wouldn't worry about you two getting too close..."

"Well, we could always unzip the middles of the sleeping bags," said Trunks, with a sly grin on his face. "Not like we uh, would, or anything..."

"Well, whatever the two of you decide to do, you're welcome to stay over here anytime you want, Trunks," said Marika. "It's the least I can do for you, after all you've done for Ami..."  


"I'll get the sleeping bags out as soon as supper's over," said Ami, smiling and walking over to the oven with a bit of excitement that she hadn't been feeling before. "Trunks, you're... sure your mom won't mind?"

"Positive," said Trunks. "She told me to keep you safe, and if this is part of keeping you safe, she has to agree with it... at least, that's what I think, anyway."

---

Sailor Mars stayed calm as the powerful tremors quaked beneath her, although her friend Rose was having trouble just staying on her feet. Finally, Mars' finger began to glow with magical energy.

"Your attack won't intimidate me, or my friend!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Mars Flame Sniper!"  


A bright burst of flame slammed into Grenate's chest, knocking him to the ground and causing an abrupt end to the tremors. Grenate stood up, looking down at the large hole that had been burned into the front of his brown jumpsuit. 

"How dare you interrupt me!" Grenate shouted, putting his hand over the large burn. "Elbarzad, let's teach her some respect!"

Elbarzad pointed his arms at Sailor Mars and Rose. Suddenly, a wall of wind came screaming at them. Sailor Mars took the brunt of the attack, as the deadly wind came at her like needles, slashing her face and arms and knocking her back onto the porch as well as blasting Rose into the door, her back slamming hard against its wooden surface. The wind continued back into the house, and all four front windows were shattered in a tremendous crash of glass. Screams began to cry out from the inside.

"What happened to the windows?" shouted a loud, male voice.

"What in the world is going on out there?" shouted another loud voice, this one female. "Is there a storm going on?"

"Mom... dad..." Rose groaned weakly, standing up and slumping against the front door. "Unnh..."

__

"She's hurt," Sailor Mars thought, _"and the flying glass may have injured her parents as well... this can't be good... I have to get the away from here somehow!"_

Several cars and bicycles that had been traveling down the street stopped to look at the house, and people began to notice Sailor Mars fighting against the two strange attackers. 

"Hey, that house is under attack!" shouted a man in one of the cars.

"You get 'em, Sailor Mars!" shouted a girl who was riding her bicycle just a few feet away from Elbarzad and Grenate. "You show those jerks who's the boss!"

"Everyone, get out of here right now!" Sailor Mars screamed. "It's dangerous to be-"

"This is very interesting," said Grenate, surveying the growing crowd. "These fools don't know they're about to die... oh well, what they don't know can't hurt them..."

The concrete of the street facing Rose's house began to lift up out of the ground, still containing the cars, bicycles, and people gathered on top of it. Some of the people on the edges took a short, harmless fall to the ground, but the others were lifted up about thirty feet in the air as Grenate hovered the huge, raised piece of concrete above the large hole in the street where it had once been. Screams and cries permeated the air around the large section of concrete, coming from the dozens of people still trapped on it. Sailor Mars gasped in horror, as did Rose and Rose's parents, who had come out to see what was going on.

"Those... whoever they are... they've trapped all those people up there!" shouted Rose's mother, pointing up at the raised section of ground.

"Let them go, right now!" Sailor Mars shouted, trying to muster up as angry of a voice as she could. 

"We'll drop it... we'll drop it and kill all of those people!" shouted Elbarzad, laughing. "Their lives are worthless to us!"

"And won't it be fun?" asked Grenate. "It's been a while since I've gotten to kill someone..."

"PLEASE, HELP US!" screamed a loud voice from the precariously hovering section of asphalt. "Don't let us die!!!"  


__

"I can't... I can't stop them!" Rei thought desperately. _"I'm not strong enough to catch it..."_

Suddenly, Grenate shifted the hovering asphalt's position enough to make it hover over Sailor Mars, Rose, their parents, and their house. Sailor Mars gasped again.

  
"You'll crush us all!" shouted Rose's father.

"Precisely!" replied Grenate. "Well... it's time to kill two birds with one stone! No... not two birds... make that... about fifty people! Ha!"

The huge piece of asphalt began plummeting to the ground, dropping like a stone. The screaming of the trapped people pierced Sailor Mars' eardrums like a speeding arrow, and she raised her arms, though she knew trying to catch the huge slab would be futile. Not even Rose or her parents could get out in time. Thoughts began racing through Rei's head as fast as the tears that were racing down her face.

__

"Cammy and Angela will come home... to find no home at all... to find their loved ones killed... people right here will see their friends and family members killed right before their eyes... NO! I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

The huge slab suddenly stopped in place, just inches above Rose's house and about six feet from Sailor Mars' outstretched arms. Sailor Mars looked up to see a glowing, red energy pillar coming from her own hands and stretching out over the bottom of the slab as a protective sheet, holding up the trapped people with a gentle layer of magical flames.

__

"Did I... did I do that?" Mars thought, tears still staining her face. _"Yes... I can feel it... that's my energy, holding up that huge section of concrete..."_

"Oh my God... Sailor Mars, how... I didn't know the Sailor Senshi were THAT strong!" Rose shouted, wiping tears from her own eyes. 

"How did... how did... it's not possible!" Grenate shouted. "That slab must weigh at least 100 tons... even more with the cars on it! It's not fair!"

Still concentrating her energy, Sailor Mars lowered the huge slab of concrete into its regular place as gently as she could. Finally, after a few seconds of agonizingly slow and careful concentration, Sailor Mars managed to move the concrete back into its proper place. Only a narrow crack surrounding the slab on each side indicated that it had ever been moved at all. Sailor Mars' hands stopped glowing, and she fell to one knee on the ground, exhausted by having used so much of her energy.

"Get out of here... every single one of you... go!" Sailor Mars shouted, looking up at all of the stunned bystanders. A few of them hesitated, paralyzed with shock and fear by their near-death experience, but soon, they had vacated the street, leaving Sailor Mars alone to face Elbarzad and Grenate. Rose and her parents remained where they were on the porch, watching Sailor Mars in awe.

__

"Rei, you saved my life... I can't believe you did what you did... I can never repay you..." Rose thought, her left hand gripping her father's hand while her right hand gripped her mother's. 

"So what if you saved all those people," said Elbarzad, pointing at Sailor Mars as she wearily straightened herself back out. "You're completely spent. Now, beating you will be a piece of cake!"

  
Sailor Mars' two hands began glowing brightly with magical energy, and she flashed a grin at the two angered warriors.

"I'm tired, but I've still got plenty of energy left where that came from..." Sailor Mars said. Elbarzad and Grenate could sense the power Sailor Mars still possessed, and nervously stepped back, onto the section of street that Grenate had lifted out of the ground. "And it's all going to be used to kick your asses!"

"Oh yeah?" Grenate shouted. "Well then... bring it!"

  
"With pleasure," Sailor Mars replied. Out of her arms rose two large, red, flashing beams of magical energy, which rose up into the air and began twisting and wrapping around one another. At the tips of the beams formed two large, roaring dragon heads, which suddenly began to plummet back to Earth, toward their targets, who looked up and trembled as the dragon heads began to roar.

"That's not good!" shouted Elbarzad, looking up at the powerful fire beams.   


"You shouldn't hurt innocent people, ESPECIALLY my friends!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Now, you guys are toast!"

The two flaming dragons slammed into Elbarzad and Grenate with tremendous force, throwing up a huge pillar of flame that disappeared almost as soon as it had been formed. As the attack made contact, Sailor Mars collapsed to her knees, the attack having sapped nearly all of her remaining energy. However, Sailor Mars knew that she had done damage, and as the charred forms of Elbarzad and Grenate slowly rose to their feet, Sailor Mars couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. Their bodies were covered with severe burns, and their jumpsuits were in tatters, burned nearly to a crisp. The two had been heavily weakened by the attack, and were in a great deal of pain.

  
"How... dare you..." Elbarzad choked out, staggering toward Sailor Mars. 

"We... should have destroyed you... when we had... the chance..." said Grenate, barely able to form the words. "But now... that you're weak... we'll finish you off!"

"Who are you calling weak?" Sailor Mars asked, slowly standing up. "I still have a lot more energy left!"

  
Sailor Mars was lying, but she hoped that the two would call her bluff and leave her and her friends alone. Before they could reply, however, Lita, Mina, Angela, and Cammy came dashing down the street. They had seen Mars' fireball, and were now rushing to investigate.

"Are you okay? Rose-chan, you're not hurt, are you?" Cammy shouted, dashing toward the house as quickly as she could.

__

"Damn, two more of those Senshi brats... and we're in no shape to fight!" Elbarzad thought, seeing Lita and Mina running toward them. _"Beaten by just ONE of the Senshi... this is so embarrassing!"_

Before the group of girls could reach the house, a huge gust of wind blew all of them back, and they had to shield their faces to protect them from the gale. When it was over, Elbarzad and Grenate were gone.

  
"They escaped!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Grrr.... _whew, close one..."_

While Angela and Cammy ran over to embrace their sister and parents, Lita and Mina quickly approached Sailor Mars and began assailing her with questions.

"Are you alright?" Lita shouted.

"Did those guys hurt you? What happened?" Mina asked quickly.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I need to find the other Senshi, and quick!" Sailor Mars shouted, not wanting to reveal her other friends' identities. She quickly whispered something to Lita and Mina. "I'm fine... meet me at the Shinto shrine tomorrow, I'll tell you everything there."

"What happened to our windows?" Angela asked, staring up at the front of the house with a look of dismay on her face.

"It's a long story," said Rose, "but all that you guys need to know is that Sailor Mars saved our lives."

"Thank you," replied Sailor Mars, humbly bowing her head. "I'm just glad that none of my friends were hurt..."

---

Later that night...

"While only two people were injured in the attack, sources say that it could have been much worse if it weren't for the heroic efforts of one of the mysterious Sailor Senshi, Sailor Mars, who used her powers to gently lower the huge slab of concrete back to Earth, saving the lives of everyone trapped on its surface."

Trunks pointed the remote at the TV in Ami's living room and switched it off, then turned his head toward Ami, who was snugly tucked into the sleeping bag next to his own. 

"Ami, you were right... Rei _was _in trouble," Trunks said. "So they ARE going after us one by one..."

"Actually, I'm beginning to think it was an attack of opportunity," Ami replied. "They only attacked me when I was alone, and they attacked Rei when she was with one of her friends... Lita and Mina were together, and they weren't attacked. Darien and Serena were together, and they weren't attacked. You were alone, and you _were _attacked. See what I'm getting at?"

"You're telling me that there's safety in numbers," said Trunks.

"That's right," Ami replied. "Which makes me glad that you're here with my mother and me tonight..."

"I'm glad I'm here with you too, Ami... somehow, I feel safer when you're around," said Trunks, reaching over to Ami and taking her hand in his own.

"What do you... mean?" Ami replied. "Trunks, you're much stronger than I am... I should be the one who feels safer with you."

  
"It's a different kind of safe, Ami... not physically safe, but... emotionally safe," Trunks said. "Ami, you're sweet, caring, gentle... you'd never do anything to hurt me, or anyone. When I'm around you, I... I just feel a lot better, you know?"  


"I think I know what you mean," said Ami, a warm smile appearing on her face. The lights in the room were off, and only the TV and a faint light from the kitchen were providing light in the room. When the TV was turned off, the room had become almost completely dark. "Because I feel the same way..."

Trunks and Ami leaned in and kissed for a few seconds, their lips tingling as they met. Finally, they broke off the kiss and settled down into their own sleeping bags, closing their eyes and blissfully dreaming of the days ahead.

---

But three of their friends weren't blissfully dreaming. For Rose, Angela, and Cammy, the nightmares were becoming increasingly real... and staggeringly terrifying. That night, they all had the same dream... the same, vivid nightmare. 

---

__

"Cammy? Angela? Where-"

All three girls were standing in the same vast, grassy field. A violent storm raged in the dark skies above, the lightning providing the only light that the three girls had. It was by that light that Rose spotted her two sisters, standing together just a few feet away. Tears were streaming down Cammy's face.

"Rose, Angela, I'm scared!" Cammy screamed. "What's going on here?"

"I'll tell you," came a voice from the shadows, sending chills down the spines of all three girls. "You're all about to die!"

"Leave us alone!" Angela shouted. "Who are you?"

"My name... is Frieza."

Suddenly, a terrible winged beast appeared in front of the three girls, with a long, pointed tail that waved back and forth. The being towered in front of them, nearly eight feet tall. The girls screamed and began to run for their lives. Suddenly, Cammy tripped, and fell to the ground, flat on her back.

"CAMMY!" Angela and Rose screamed at the same time.

  
"Help me!" Cammy shouted. She tried to climb to her feet, but before she could, the huge being turned around and slammed its long, pointed tail into her mouth, causing Cammy to begin to choke violently. As the being's tail continued further down into her body, Cammy screamed even louder and tried to signal to her sisters to help her, but it was no use. The being's tail burst forth from Cammy's stomach, and its tip pointed at her chest.

"LET HER GO!" Rose shouted.

"She didn't do anything to you!" Angelica screamed.

Cammy cried and screamed for help, but her cries were muffled by the being's tail, which completely filled her throat and pierced her stomach. Suddenly, a huge, burning plume of fire shot out the tip of the being's tail, instantly burning Cammy alive and drowning out her screams. Next, the being turned its attention on the other two girls.

"You... you... you sick bastard!" Rose shrieked, running at the being. "You killed her! You killed-"

  
The being's powerful arm smacked across Rose's chest, knocking her to the ground as Angela came running past, also headed toward the deadly winged monster.

"You just don't learn, do you?" shouted the creature, grabbing Angela's long, blue hair and pulling it back as far and as hard as he could. Angela let out a loud scream of anguish as her hair, along with her scalp, began to be ripped from the top of her head. Finally, the being pointed its arm at Angela and burned her alive, just as it had done with Cammy. Now, Rose was the last one left. She climbed to her feet and clenched her fists, determined to vanquish the monster that had just murdered her sisters.

"You're... not real..." Rose said, thunder clashing behind her. "This is a dream... just like all those other dreams..."

"No, no... this is real!" the creature shouted, pointing its arm at Rose. "YOU WILL DIE!"

A gigantic pillar of fire engulfed Rose, and then all was black.

---

The three girls all woke up, sitting up in their beds and screaming at the same time. This time, their parents came rushing into the room.

"It was horrible!" Cammy shouted, tears streaming down her face.

"Another nightmare," said Angela, sweat dripping profusely from her forehead.

"It's not about today, is it?" asked the girls' father, turning on the light and walking into the room.

"It's all over now... nothing's going to hurt you," said their mother, walking over to Cammy's bed and tightly embracing the trembling green-haired girl. "You're okay, it was only a dream..."  


"But it... it seemed so real," whispered Rose, her hand firmly over her rapidly beating heart. _"I thought we were all going to die..."_

---

"Where is that Trunks?" Bulma whined, standing out on her front porch. "It's two in the morning and he's still not back... he knows I worry about him!"

  
Bulma sighed.

  
"He's probably over at Ami's... and he didn't even tell me he'd be staying," said Bulma, turning around and walking back into the house. "Oh well, it's not like he's got a phone that can reach here, anyway... but I had a nice supper planned for him, and I know he would have enjoyed it."

Bulma walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water from the sink as she began to get ready to go to bed. She was still wearing the pink t-shirt and tan pocketed vest that she had put on that morning, and a long pair of blue jeans, which had been stained with oil from making adjustments on Trunks' training chamber. She took a sip of the water and began to walk out of the room.

"Well... he's an adult now, I guess," Bulma said, sighing as she walked toward the stairs, carrying the glass of water. "He's old enough to make his own decisions... I just wish he'd tell me first before he goes and makes them."

But before Bulma could reach the first step, a quiet, male voice stopped her.

"Going to bed, Mrs. Briefs?"  


Bulma gasped, dropping the glass of water she was carrying. When she turned around, she could see Flarinsa and Patrick, standing right in the middle of her living room.

"What do you want?" Bulma shouted. "Get out! Get out of here right now!"

"Now, you know we can't do that," said Flarinsa, a smirk on her face.

"This... this is about Trunks, isn't it?" Bulma asked, her voice beginning to tremble. 

"That's right," Patrick replied. "But don't worry... we won't kill you. Yet, anyway."

  
"Whatever you want, you're not going to hurt Trunks!" Bulma shrieked. "You'll have to go through me first! Trunks isn't here, and-"

With a wave of his hand, Patrick lifted up the water that had been spilled onto the ground when Bulma dropped her glass. He formed it into a long, thin block of water, and slowly moved it toward Bulma's face.

"-and I won't let you use Trunks for your evil schemes!" Bulma shouted. "So whatever you have planned, I will NOT-"

The block of water splashed onto Bulma's mouth, and when Patrick closed his hand, the water instantly froze into a block of ice, sealing Bulma's lips closed and silencing her protests.

"I really pity Trunks," said Flarinsa, her smirk turned into a frown. "I really don't see how he puts up with that incessant nagging all day..."

"If I was Trunks, I'd kill myself," Patrick replied. "No, seriously, I would."

Patrick and Flarinsa each grabbed one of Bulma's arms, holding her in place.

"No you wouldn't, Patrick," Flarinsa said. "All that power, and those good looks..."

"You REALLY think Trunks is better looking than me? You must be joking, Flarinsa."

"I don't joke, Patrick," Flarinsa replied. "Compared to Trunks, you're like, the bottom of the barrel."

  
"Flarinsa, just shut the hell up."

And with that, the two vile henchmen disappeared from the Briefs' home... taking Bulma as their captive.

---

The following morning, after Trunks had eaten breakfast with Ami and her mother, he quickly returned to his own dimension, completely unaware of what had happened the night before. As he walked into his house, an eerie calm confronted him.

  
"Mom?" Trunks yelled, walking into the living room. "You here? Don't worry about making breakfast, I already had-"

When Trunks walked into the kitchen, he gasped. There, sitting at the end of the table, was Pandemonium, a vicious smile on his face. Trunks recoiled in horror, and then lit up with rage, pointing his finger at Pandemonium in a gesture of rage.

"Where's my mother, you son of a bitch?" Trunks shouted through clenched teeth. Pandemonium smiled, sipping from a cup of coffee that he'd made himself just before sitting down at the table to drink it. 

"That's for me to know, and for your idiot Senshi friends to find out," said Pandemonium. "You know, your mom probably makes much better coffee than I do... or maybe it's just because all coffee on your pathetic world tastes like crap. Have a seat."  


"WHERE'S MY MOTHER?" Trunks shouted, immediately transforming into his Super Saiyan form, his golden glow completely illuminating the room. "Last chance before I rip you apart, limb by limb!"

"You'd do it anyway," Pandemonium replied. "Just like any other Saiyan would. Vicious, that's all you are. Well, if you REALLY want to see her..."

Pandemonium waved his hand, and suddenly, a cloud of fog appeared inbetween Pandemonium and Trunks. In the fog, Trunks could see his mother, standing in a large, blue cage, her hands tightly gripping the bars.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Bulma screamed, as loud as she could. "Whoever's keeping me here is going to be sorry... my son is gonna kick your-"

The fog disappeared, and Pandemonium began to chuckle.

"52, and still screaming like a cheerleader," said Pandemonium, taking another sip of coffee. "Is that where you get your rage from, Trunks?"

Trunks flew at Pandemonium and threw a powerful punch at his head, but Pandemonium simply moved his head to the side, dodging Trunks' blow.

"Sitdown _now_," Pandemonium said sharply, pointing at the chair across from him at the table. "Unless you want your mother killed. I can say the word and she'll be dead in an instant."

  
"You're a liar," Trunks said. "A sick, twisted liar."  


"Believe me or don't believe me, it's your choice," Pandemonium said, a casual tone permeating his voice, as if he was completely unafraid of the raging, vehement Super Saiyan hovering just inches from his face. "But do you really want to risk your deal mother's life."

"You won't be able to say any words with my fist down your throat," said Trunks, his aura intensifying.

"The chances of you actually getting your fist down my throat are extremely slim," said Pandemonium, "and any attempts to actually do so would be met with the slow, torturous death of your dear, sweet mother Bulma. So if you REALLY want to roll the dice, go ahead... but don't be angry with me if you end up crapping out long before the game is over."

Trunks started to flinch, but then calmed himself down just enough to think rationally.

__

"What if... what if he's right? Mom could get killed if I attack this guy... oh God, I was thinking about everyone else getting hurt but her... I should have been here protecting mom, not at Ami's house protecting Ami! What am I thinking... I love Ami... dammit, this is all my fault!"

Trunks powered down to normal, and then floated back into the chair across from Pandemonium.

"What do you want?" Trunks asked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"I want you to sit there, and remain seated until your pathetic Senshi friends either save your mother or are killed in the process," said Pandemonium. "Don't worry... all they'll be doing is fighting Nikashi, and my four elemental warriors, Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate. If you've trained them hard enough, it shouldn't be too difficult... you'll know when to get up if your mother walks through that door, freed by the Senshi... or I toss her body in here, followed by the bodies of the Senshi. Those are the rules of the game, Trunks. You see, until the next phase of our little project, we want to keep you fighting as little as possible. Nikashi wasn't supposed to come here and fight you, but you just _know _how some people are, never following orders, always trying to screw everything up. It's enough to just infuriate a guy, isn't it, Trunks?"

"And how do you plan to keep me here?" Trunks asked. "Are you going to watch me?"

"No, no, I've got far too little time for that... instead, I'm going to set this camera down, right here..."

  
Out of thin air, Pandemonium materialized a large, blinking video camera, mounted on a tripod. He set it down and pointed it at Trunks.

"Smile," said Pandemonium. "C'mon, put on your best face. This is for posterity!"

"This is for you and your camera, you bastard," Trunks said, lifting up his right hand and raising his middle finger in view of the camera's lens.

"That's pretty funny, Trunks," said Pandemonium. "Now remember... I'm going to leave now, but I'll be watching. If you leave this camera's sight, your mother dies. If the camera is destroyed, your mother dies. Got it, Trunks?"

Trunks flashed his middle finger at Pandemonium and the camera again.

  
"Good!" Pandemonium said. "I see we completely understand. Well, I'll be seeing you... don't worry, I've already sent some of my men to tell the Senshi where your mother is and how they can get to where she is, so don't worry about that little detail. And if you're mad, just remember... you and I _will _do battle, and that time is drawing very, very near. Adieu, my friend."

With a blink of his eyes, Pandemonium disappeared, leaving Trunks to face the video camera alone, its eye forever watching him. Trunks lowered his hand, and bowed his head, pressing it down against the table.

__

"Ami?" Trunks thought, trying to contact Ami telepathically. _"Can you hear me? Ami? Damn, no good... it only works at distances of about a thousand feet, and definitely not across dimensions... it was worth a shot, though... dammit, mom... I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you... it's my fault, all my fault!"_

Trunks fought the temptation to cry, knowing that any tears he shed would be captured on camera for Pandemonium and anyone else that might be watching to see. He couldn't let his pride be damaged like that, but anyone who was watching could clearly see the anguish on Trunks' face. His mother was gone, in mortal danger, and it was all Trunks' fault... or at least he was the only person he could blame.

---

Poor Bulma, huh? And poor Trunks! And poor everyone else... except for Pandemonium, of course. Well, hope you enjoyed this exciting (and long) chapter! Please read the next one, okay?


	6. Reawakening

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Jay: All those ideas are fine, but... right now I'm doing this, okay? Thank you!

Kaiya: ^_^ I could have Trunks loop the video... but that camera is ALWAYS on, and Pandemonium will know if Trunks messes with it... right now I'm trying to get all the Senshi fights out of the way before I start the kickass DBZ-esque ones with Trunks.

Quisty05: Thank you! I'm glad you liked this chapter... hopefully, you'll enjoy this next one just the same... okay? ^_^

---

While Trunks was languishing in his own world, his girlfriend Ami and her friends were walking to school, completely unaware of the turmoil about to befall them. Along with Ami, Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina were Rose, Angela, and Cammy, the three sisters whom were still shaken up from the previous night's terrible nightmares. 

"So, what kind of monster attacked you guys again?" Serena asked, noticing that Cammy was becoming increasingly scared, despite the bright light of the sun that illuminated the sky and provided a stark contrast to the terrible darkness of her nightmares.

"It was this big winged lizard with a huge tail," Rose began, "and-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Cammy shrieked, covering her ears. Her scream was loud enough for nearly everyone on the sidewalk to hear, and some of the people in the adjacent houses even walked to their windows. Angela quickly walked over and embraced Cammy, her arms wrapping around the front of her sister's midsection.

"Cammy, shh... it's alright now, nothing's going to hurt you," Angela cooed softly. "It was just a dream..."

"But it... it seemed so real..." Cammy said, her trembles slowly stopping. "Thank you, Angela..."

__

"A big winged lizard?" Ami thought, a slight shiver going down her spine as she suddenly recalled the horrors of her encounters with Frieza. _"Now I know they're dreaming about Frieza... I can understand why... even I still have nightmares about him sometimes..."_

"Angela's right, Cammy... this is the real world, and there's nothing here that can hurt you at all!" Lita said, a smile on her face as she slightly exaggerated the truth. "So you've got nothing to fear..."

"But fear itself!" Mina said, flashing a peace sign in Cammy's face. "What... I couldn't resist!"

Suddenly, the air in front of the eight girls began to warp and twist, forming a long, wide, portal-like distortion right before their eyes. Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina gasped, knowing exactly what it was, but Rose, Angela, and Cammy screamed, thinking that their terrible nightmares had become a reality. Many people on the street followed their lead, turning and running from the portal, screaming loudly as they ran. Rose, Angela, and Cammy decided to hide in a nearby bush as a beautiful woman emerged from the wide portal, smiling viciously. 

"Hello, girls... or should I say, hello Sailor Senshi?" asked the woman. "My name is Nikashi..."

  
The woman turned to Ami and smiled.

"And I believe your boyfriend and I have already met," said Nikashi. "He's a real looker, you know."

"What do you want?" Serena shouted, clenching her fists.

"Well, you see... I'm here to play a fun little game, if you'll let me! Five on five, the Sailor Senshi versus me and Pandemonium's four elemental soldiers. And I've acquired a neat little prize for our game..."

"And what would _that _be?" Ami asked, stepping forward to confront Nikashi. _"Oh no... what if she's got Trunks?"_

"You'll just have to find out by coming inside and joining me!" Nikashi said. "Although I'll give you a little hint. She's a LOT older than me... a lot less pretty, too. And of course, she's really, really whiny..."

The Senshi gasped.

__

"Bulma!" Ami thought._ "Hey, Bulma's not whiny..."_

"So, if you want to play, that's fine... if not, well, I'll just donate the prize to charity... the charity of my associate Pandemonium's deadly wrath! I'll be waiting, girls..."

Nikashi casually stepped back into the gate, leaving Ami and the other Senshi alone in front of it. By now, all the other bystanders had left, save Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who were still concealed in the nearby shrubbery, listening in.

"What's going on?" Cammy blurted out. "Why are Serena and the others-"

Rose and Angela quickly covered Cammy's mouth, both of them shushing her at the same time.

"Cammy, be quiet!" Angela whispered.

"We'll miss something important... I think that lady might have something to do with those dreams we've been having!" Rose whispered.

"Really?" Cammy mumbled through both of her sisters' hands. Rose and Angela nodded.

"Let's just say I have a hunch..." Rose whispered.

"What are we gonna do?" Serena shouted. "If we go in there, we might miss school or something!"

"Serena, I thought you'd be the _last _person concerned about missing school," Rei grumbled. "We've gotta get in there! Trunks' mom is in serious trouble!"

"Well, yeah, but I've been tardy the last few days, and the teacher said that if I get one more tardy..."

"Come ON, Serena," Ami said, taking Serena's hand and pulling her toward the open vortex. "We have to save Bulma, she's like a second mother to me, you know that!"

"You're right, Ami... let's go!" Serena shouted. "Besides, Trunks has probably been told about this even before we have... he'll be there to help us! We'll be done beating those jerks in no time!"

The five girls disappeared into the vortex, but instead of closing behind them, it remained open, swirling in the middle of the road. Rose, Angela, and Cammy stared at it for several seconds, contemplating what to do next.

"Well... what now?" Rose asked.

"We've gotta go in there!" Angela replied. "It looks really scary, but... we need to help our friends! And if we don't go in, we'll never find out what's causing us to have those terrible dreams..."

"There's no way I'm going in there!" Cammy shouted, her voice trembling as she began to step away from her two sisters. "No way, nuh-uh!"

---

Meanwhile, Trunks remained in his own world, in the kitchen of his house, sitting in a chair with his eyes fixated on the camera that was keeping him glued to his spot. He hadn't wiped the angry glare from his face as he continued to stare into the camera's ever-watching lens, his gaze piercing its cold stare.

__

"I can't move from this spot..." Trunks thought desperately. _"If I could, I could easily find some way to loop the film... but I don't even know what that stupid thing is made of! Its power must be magical if it's capable of transferring my image across the dimensions... and even if it's not, I can't take the chance of my mom being killed..."_

As the cold realization began to sink in, Trunks transferred all of his hope and trust to Ami, the girl he loved more than anything else in the world. If anyone could rescue his mother, Ami was the person who could do it.

__

"I trust you, Ami... you and the Sailor Senshi... please be safe... and please bring mother back home..."

---

The five girls, now transformed into the Sailor Senshi, appeared in a giant, domed room that seemed to be entirely made of metal, with bright light reflecting off its cold, gray surface. The floor of the room consisted of solid, white tile, similar to that inside Trunks' training chamber. It was clear that wherever or whatever this room was, deep within the bowels of Lord Exeter's gigantic space station, it was made for a fight. As soon as the Senshi arrived, they could see Pandemonium's four elemental warriors, and in front of them stood the strongest warrior of all, the deadly Nikashi. The room's intense light reflected especially well from the smooth, red leather of her revealing outfit, its sleek and svelte design nearly causing the Senshi to have a double-take upon seeing it.

"It looks like _someone's _in the mood for some weird fun," quipped Sailor Moon, commenting on Nikashi's revealing outfit. "Note to you... you're fighting women, not men here. Try to dress a BIT more formally for the occasion, m'kay?"

"It doesn't look like she's fighting any men here at all," said Sailor Venus, looking in every direction for any sign of Trunks. "Where is Trunks at?"

  
_"Where IS Trunks?" _thought Sailor Mercury, her mind flooded with worry. "Trunks, where-"

"Oh yes, I forgot one minor detail... Trunks won't be appearing here tonight," said Nikashi, a smile on her face. "Because you see, he's not allowed anywhere near the premises. Don't worry about him, though... he's safely at home, and that's where he's going to stay if he ever wants to see dear Bulma alive ever again!"

"Where is she?" Sailor Moon shouted angrily, stepping forward to confront her five adversaries. "And what have you done with her?"

"Oh, she's okay, we didn't hurt her when we grabbed her," said Flarinsa, smiling and looking down at her fingernails in a gesture of pride. 

"Except for freezing her whiny, screeching mouth shut," Patrick said, chuckling. "Why did Pandemonium have to go and thaw it out, anyway? She hasn't done anything but scream since we brought her here!"

"Pandemonium said he wanted to ask her a few questions," said Elbarzad, turning to Patrick and Flarinsa. "And he's our boss, so..."  


"I know, I know, don't cross the boss," Patrick replied, sighing.

"Enough talk about Bulma. Just like Trunks, she's safe and sound... until you fools lose, that is!" Nikashi shouted.

"Oh, we won't lose!" Sailor Jupiter said, clenching her fists and stepping forward. "Even if Trunks isn't here, we can still take on you five, no sweat!"

"Trunksie-poo needed to go all the way to Super Saiyan to beat me, and I wasn't even trying," said Nikashi, her eyes beginning to sparkle. "What makes you think you can stop me, when Trunks has already proven to be way stronger than the five of you?"

"Strength comes in all different forms!" Sailor Mercury shouted to Nikashi, a growing determination in her voice. "Trunks said that we'll be far more effective against opponents using magical strength than he is, and I think that means we've got a pretty even chance to beat-"

Suddenly, a long block of ice, similar to the one Patrick used to silence Bulma, came flying at Sailor Mercury's face with incredible speed. Sailor Mercury raised her hand and fired a tiny blast of ice magic, destroying the block and nullifying both attacks. 

  
"Dammit," Patrick cursed under his breath. 

"I'll consider that the first attack by your side... it's our turn now!" Sailor Moon shouted, quickly withdrawing her henshin stick and pointing it straight at Nikashi and the four warriors flanked behind her. "Moon Purification..."

Remembering Trunks' lessons, Sailor Moon didn't finish the attack naturally, instead concentrating as much energy as she could at the tip of the henshin stick and firing it off in the form of a gargantuan energy beam. The giant white beam flew at Nikashi and quickly slammed into her, creating a huge energy explosion that quickly engulfed all five of the Senshi's adversaries.

"Direct hit!" Sailor Venus shouted victoriously. "Sailor Moon, that was awesome!"

But the frown that remained on Sailor Moon's face clearly indicated that the fight was far from over. Indeed, when the smoke from the attack cleared, its only accomplishment was prompting Nikashi into creating a giant, glowing red magical energy shield that spread out in front of her and the four elemental warriors behind her, protecting them with a large circle of red light. Nikashi emitted a tiny giggle, and the shield disappeared as quickly as it had been formed.

"Now it's on," Nikashi said quietly. Pointing at the five temporarily stunned Senshi, she commanded, "Get them!"

Without hesitation, Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate complied, rushing the distance of the room to reach the Senshi. The five Senshi rushed equally quickly, and the nine furious warriors met in the middle, as Nikashi looked on.

"Split up and try to take them one on one!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Since Nikashi hasn't attacked yet, we outnumber them, so two of us can take on one of them at the same time!"

"Wanna take the girl in red with me, Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mars asked, pleasantly surprised by Sailor Moon's sudden strategical inspiration. Sailor Moon nodded, and the two Senshi both attacked Flarinsa at once, taking her by surprise. She formed a fireball in each hand and tossed them at the two attacking Senshi, hitting them both in the chest and briefly stunning them. Even as Flarinsa prepared to take on Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars, Patrick immediately attacked Sailor Mercury, determined not to let her embarrass him again. 

"You can't always be equal to me, Mercury..." Patrick shouted, an icy wind swirling up around him. As Sailor Mercury looked into the spinning vortex, she could see tiny shards of ice forming deep within, rapidly picking up speed.

__

"If those hit me, I could be sliced to ribbons!" Sailor Mercury thought, nervously looking up at the swirling shards. _"I have to do something, and quick!"_

Before Patrick could make any further sort of strike, Sailor Mercury raised her arms and channeled a large amount of magical energy. Now, Patrick decided to launch his attack. The vortex began to accelerate, and icy shards were flung toward Sailor Mercury, standing just a few yards away. Sailor Mercury stuck out her hands and blasted a large, icy beam in the direction of the shards and their creator, freezing the shards solid and creating a large, icy explosion that knocked Patrick to the ground, his body coated in ice. He slowly made it to his feet, just in time to see Sailor Mercury inspecting the damage from his attack. A few of the shards had made it through, and Mercury's gloved hands were covered in tiny slashes from the sharp ice, slightly staining the snow-white gloves with blood. Patrick smiled in approval, though his body was beginning to feel slight twinges of pain from the aftereffects of Sailor Mercury's attack.

While this was going on, Sailor Jupiter was furiously defending herself against a rain of blows by Elbarzad, each deadly punch accompanied by a small blast of wind, the wind acting like a hammer against Sailor Jupiter's body. Only by concentrating her magical energy could she avoid damage from the blows, but she knew as she blocked each one with her forearm that she was losing energy fast with each blow that rained down.

"Having fun, Sailor Jupiter?" Elbarzad shouted, continuing to strike at Sailor Jupiter with his deadly, wind-infused fists.

"I'll be having a lot... more fun..." Sailor Jupiter said, straining to speak as Elbarzad's fists continued to come down, "when I'm kicking... your butt!"

Suddenly, a huge field of electrical energy shot out from Sailor Jupiter, slamming into Elbarzad and sending thousands of volts surging through his body. He leapt back, still sparking brightly with leftover electrical charge. Sailor Jupiter ran over and punched Elbarzad in the face, sending him even further backward, bumping right into his comrade Grenate.

"Hey!" Grenate shouted, his attention diverted from the fight. "Watch it, will ya?"

Grenate turned back to Sailor Venus, the Senshi whom he was currently facing. She had just began to charge up energy for an attack when Grenate sent several large, heavy boulders flying toward her. As they approached, several golden energy chains extended out from Venus' hands, slamming into the boulders and shattering them on contact. 

"Maybe you should pay attention to your own fight instead of yelling at everyone who bumps into you," Sailor Venus said, a bright smile on her face. "If it hadn't been for your dumb rocks, my chains would have ripped you to pieces!"

"Guess I'll just have to try harder," Granate said. Before Sailor Venus could react, the very floor she was standing on began to rise up off of the ground, quickly flying several feet into the air. Undaunted, Sailor Venus leapt off of the rising rock and pointed her arms at Granate, charging up yet another attack.

__

"I can control my energy almost perfectly now!" Sailor Venus thought. _"This is great!"_

But Venus' joy was short-lived. The lifted section of ground quickly changed course and smashed into the back of Sailor Venus' head, shattering into several pieces and knocking the surprised Senshi to the ground, with a large bump on the back of her head as a result.

"Foolish girl," said Granate, standing victoriously over the dazed Sailor Venus. "You Sailor Senshi are all the same..."

"Not all of us!" Sailor Moon shouted, taking a split-second to watch Sailor Venus' battle as she herself and Sailor Mars were still fighting against Flarinsa. "We've gotta help her, Mars!"

  
"You still have me to deal with, remember?" Flarinsa shouted. A huge fireball exploded from Flarinsa's hands, and Sailor Mars was barely able to counter the attack with a large fireball of her own. The two huge balls of fire met right in the middle of Sailor Mars and Flarinsa, and immediately began jockeying for position as the two warriors desperately tried pushing their own blasts forward. 

__

"I think I've seen this before," thought Sailor Mercury, catching a quick glimpse at her friend's battle with Flarinsa. _"Trunks and Frieza used to fight exactly like this...."_

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to me?" Patrick shouted, running toward Sailor Mercury at a rapid speed. "And THIS!"

  
Patrick leapt up and dealt a smashing kick to the side of Sailor Mercury's face, knocking her into the air and sending her flying toward the back of the room. She slammed into the ground hard, and took several seconds to regain her bearings.

"Unnh..." Sailor Mercury groaned, looking up at the other Senshi while rubbing her right cheek, where a deep, purple bruise had just formed. "Darn it... I should try to pay more attention next time..."

"Sailor Mercury!" shouted Sailor Moon, suddenly turning toward her friend. "Mars, we gotta help-"

Sailor Mars was about to respond when two small beams of flame formed just above Flarinsa's shoulders and rushed at her. Sailor Mars, still busy holding back Flarinsa's large fire beam with one of her own, had no chance to block or dodge the beams as they slammed into Sailor Mars' face, causing her to lose her concentration. The beam of fire coming from her hands disappeared, allowing Flarinsa's large beam to come barreling toward her. The beam slammed into Sailor Mars and exploded in a huge pillar of fire, causing all of the other Senshi to stop dead in their tracks.

"NO!" Sailor Moon screamed, running at Flarinsa in a rage and pointing her arm at the now-cackling warrior. "I'll show you to attack my friend!"

"Sailor Mars, no!" Sailor Mercury shouted. As she began to stand up, a thin, red strand of energy suddenly encircled her wrists, binding them together and constricting tightly, cutting into her flesh. As Sailor Mercury began to scream, a strong force pulled her toward the back of the room, and a loud voice began to ring in her ears.

"Tell me, Trunks' girlfriend..." said Nikashi, using her whip to drag Sailor Mercury across the room, "what exactly does he see in you, anyway?"  
  
Sailor Mercury looked up to see Nikashi looking down at her, straight into her eyes. She tried to struggle against the energy whip binding her wrists, but only succeeded in having the thin, deadly strand constricted even tighter, cutting even further into her skin. She began to tremble with fright, and cried out in a loud, agonized cry.

"Let... me... GO!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

"Not a chance!" Nikashi yelled, her smile disappearing as she began to fill with burning, jealous rage. "Now... TELL ME WHAT HE SEES IN YOU!"

Nikashi began to repeatedly kick the helpless Sailor Mercury in the side, each kick becoming more and more intense and eliciting an even louder scream from her agonized victim. Desperately, Sailor Mercury pointed her tied hands upward at Nikashi, trying to counter with a magical attack, but gasped in horror when she realized she couldn't form even a single spark of magical energy.

__

"What in the world is happening to me?" Sailor Mercury thought, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears. _"I can't even form a single attack... I'm completely helpless! What am I going to do?"_

"Tell me!" Nikashi shouted, kicking Sailor Mercury in the side yet again. "Why does Trunks love a nerd like you when he could be with a beautiful woman like me?"  


"Because for one thing, Sailor Mercury is more beautiful than you could ever be, and for another thing... she's not a trashy bitch like you are!"

  
Nikashi stopped kicking Sailor Mercury and turned to see who had confronted her. It was Sailor Jupiter, standing just inches away. Her hands were sparking with magical energy.

"And you're about to get fried!"

Sailor Jupiter pointed her arms at Nikashi and fired all the energy she could muster, blasting Nikashi back into the wall and snapping the magical energy whip holding Sailor Mercury's wrists. The snapped piece of energy disappeared, freeing Sailor Mercury and allowing her to slowly climb to her feet, staggering back into Sailor Jupiter's arms.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Yeah," a relieved Sailor Mercury said, nodding and rubbing her wrists. "How did you-"

"I knocked out that punk Elbarzad with a kick to the stomach, but I'm pretty sure he'll be getting up soon," said Sailor Jupiter. "But right now, we've gotta teach this witch a lesson!"  


"Teach me a lesson?" Nikashi said, walking away from the wall with only a few minor burns left by Sailor Jupiter's electrical attack. "I'm easily stronger than the both of you put together! You just caught me off-guard, that's all... now take this!"

In an instant, Nikashi flared up with a large amount of energy, knocking back the two Senshi and almost felling them to their knees.

"She's about to attack!" Sailor Mercury screamed.

"Look out!" screamed Sailor Jupiter.

Just then, a large portal opened up in the front of the room. Out of the portal emerged Rose and Angela, half-dragging Cammy through the threshold of the portal.

  
"No, I don't wanna go!" Cammy shrieked.

"C'mon, don't you want to find out why we're having all those scary dreams?" Angela said, trying to drag her struggling sister into the room. "And why... oh my gosh, what is this place?"

  
Rose and Angela dropped Cammy, who immediately fell to the floor as her sisters released her. As the three girls looked around the room, their mouths opened wide in stunned silence, and all the fighting stopped as everyone, the Senshi included, turned to look at the three intruders.

"What are they doing here?" Nikashi shouted. "No interference allowed! Whoever you three are, you shouldn't be here!"

"Cammy..." Patrick said lustfully as his dark eyes met with Cammy's large green ones. "She gets more and more beautiful every day..."

"Who are you, and why are you staring at me?" Cammy suddenly shrieked. "And where is this place? And where are Serena and-"

"Oh geez, how did they get here?" Sailor Moon whispered to the nearby Sailor Mars, who looked back and shrugged.

"I don't know, Sailor Moon... but somehow, we have to get them out of here!"

"Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, Grenate... get out of the way!" Nikashi shouted, gesturing her four counterparts to the sides of the room. As soon as they were out of the way, Nikashi pointed her arms toward Rose, Angela, and Cammy, now trembling as they slowly began to realize the grimness of their situation. "You three have interfered in your last battle!"

Cammy turned around, desperately searching for the portal from which she and her sisters had entered the room. The large portal was now gone.

"No!" Cammy shrieked. "There was... there was a warp thingy, right here!"

  
"It's gone?" Angela shouted, looking back as well. "OH NO!"

  
"Oh yes!" Nikashi screamed, a smile returning to her face. "And the penalty for seeing something you were never supposed to see... is death!"

Three large, spark-shaped blasts emerged from Nikashi's hands and flew at the three trembling girls. Without hesitation, the five Senshi quickly stepped in the path of the blasts, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury running back to join the other Senshi.

"We can't let you guys get hurt!" Sailor Moon shouted just as the blasts hit, engulfing the Senshi in three large, powerful explosion that blasted Rose, Angela, and Cammy completely off of their feet.

"Ow!" Cammy shrieked as her buttocks impacted the cold, tile floor. "That hurt!"

"The Sailor Senshi just sacrificed themselves, and all you can think about is your butt hurting?" Rose shouted. "That's cold, Cammy..."

"I'm scared..." Cammy moaned, shivering as the smoke from the blast wafted over her head. When the smoke cleared, the five Senshi were still standing, though all of them were a bit worse for well, sporting new burns and bruises to go along with the ones already sustained during their battles with Nikashi's henchmen. 

"You guys okay?" Sailor Moon asked, looking back to check on the condition of her friends, who were still sitting firmly on the ground. As the three of them nodded, Angela recognized something in Sailor Moon's eyes that she hadn't noticed before. They were exactly identical to the eyes of one of her closest friends.

"Serena?" Angela said meekly, causing Sailor Moon to gasp, her mouth opening wide.

"Um... um... um..." stammered Sailor Moon, struggling to form words that would lower the suspicions of her friend. "Well, you see-"

"We'll explain later," said Sailor Mercury, looking back at her three friends and smiling, relieved to find out that they were alright. "We've got some bad guy butt to kick right now, so you three just stay back there, safe, okay?"

Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate had already reassembled themselves, lining up in front of the Senshi to prepare for another strike. All they were waiting for was the word from Nikashi, who remained in the back of the room, damaged only slightly by Sailor Jupiter's attack, pondering her next move. After some deliberation, she shouted the order.

"KILL THEM ALL!"

And with those words, the battle began anew. But as the Senshi ran toward Nikashi's warriors, something about them seemed different than the last time. They didn't split off to attack individual Senshi. Instead, they remained together, ready to attack in a group. It wasn't a unique strategy, and the Senshi themselves attacked in a group many times. What surprised the Senshi was that they'd never seen this particular group of warriors attack in such a way before... leaving them ill-prepared for the kind of power such an attack would contain. As the Senshi began to charge up their energies, Flarinsa suddenly let loose with a screaming line of flames that engulfed every one of the five Senshi, causing them to cry out as their bodies were scorched by the deadly fire. As soon as that attack died down, Patrick leapt up and fired a huge, blue beam at the Senshi. It hit the ground right in front of them, but soon, it formed a large, freezing glacier that engulfed all five Senshi, encasing them in a giant block of ice. Next to attack was Elbarzad. He pointed his arms at the Senshi, instantly shattering the block of ice to pieces with a giant tornado that picked up the five Senshi and sent them flying up into the tornado's vortex, as it dipped down from the very top of the room and quickly ascended the five Senshi to the highest point of its screaming winds.

"The wind is so intense, I can't even form an attack!" Sailor Moon shrieked.

"And it feels like... we're being torn apart!" Sailor Mercury shouted. She looked down at Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who had backed all the way up against the large wall of the room, still trembling. Cammy was sobbing, her hands all the way up to her eyes. "We've got to get free and help them, right now!"

But before any sort of counterattack could be mounted by the Senshi, large chunks of incredibly hard rock were lifted up into the vortex by Grenate. The huge rocks hit the Senshi, smashing and bruising them with their force amplified by the inconceivably fast winds. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the incredible wind died down, and the rocks disintegrated. The five Senshi fell dozens of feet, finally smacking hard against the ground below, their bodies heavily beaten and injured by the potent quadraelemental group attack that had just been unleashed upon them. Slowly and courageously, they stood up, Sailor Moon first, and then quickly followed by the other five Senshi. Though their bodies were battered, they were all completely focused on the battle, ignoring their pain and concentrating on defeating Flarinsa and the other deadly warriors, including Nikashi, who continued to watch the fight from the back of the room. They weren't just fighting for themselves, they were fighting for Bulma, and now Rose, Angela, and Cammy as well.

"Well, it looks like Pandemonium's lackeys are actually good for _something_," Nikashi said, arrogantly brushing back her hair with her hand. "Well, what are you waiting for? Finish them!"

  
"I was just getting to that," Flarinsa said, stepping forward with a small fireball cupped in each hand. _"That attack took a lot out of us too, you know... you could be a little more considerate of the people who are actually doing your dirty work..."_

"Two can... play at that game..." said Sailor Moon, looking around to all of the other Senshi. "It's time for a Sailor Planet Power attack!"

  
The other Senshi, including Sailor Mercury, had that exact same idea on their minds. They linked hands and joined together, forming a circle with their bodies as they quickly gathered whatever energy they had left. Flarinsa turned to look at the Senshi as a large cloud of magical energy gathered over their bodies.

"Hey, what's going on?" Flarinsa shouted. "Are they trying to attack us?"

"We can't let _that _happen," said Patrick, running toward the five Senshi. "You fools are-"

"Sailor Planet..."

But remembering what Trunks had told them, the Senshi didn't just release their attack like they normally would. Instead, they concentrated all of their power into a large ball and fired it out in the shape of a beam. It slammed into Patrick head-on as he charged the Senshi, and he and his cohorts were helpless to stop the explosion that followed, engulfing him, Flarinsa, Elbarzad, and Grenate, showering them in brilliant light. When the attack finally ended, the five Senshi fell to their knees, confident that they had finally won the fight. Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who had to shield their eyes from the attack, slowly slid their arms away from their faces.

"I could... I could feel that attack, there was so much power..." Rose said quietly. 

"Do you think... the Sailor Senshi won?" Angela asked.

"I know they did!" Cammy said, wiping the tears away from her face. "That attack was way too powerful to have not done anything! The fight's over, and the Senshi are the winners!"

"Not exactly," came Nikashi's voice, a lot closer than the Senshi had grown accustomed to hearing. Sailor Mercury gasped, the first to realize the cold truth. When the light from the attack finally disappeared, Nikashi was again standing before the Senshi, just inches in front of Patrick and the others. Nikashi's red energy shield had once again completely blocked the effects of the attack. When the shield disappeared, the Senshi could see the flesh on Nikashi's hand had been seared and ripped, having taken the brunt of the powerful magical blast. 

"No... no, not again!" Sailor Mars shouted. "She can't block our attack again!"

"Yes... I did block it again, girls..." said Nikashi through gritted teeth. A look of rage was clearly evident on her face. "And THIS is what it did to my beautiful hand! It might take days to heal!"

"What are we going to do now, Sailor Moon?" Sailor Venus asked frantically, putting her hand on her trembling leader's shoulder. "Sailor Moon, are you-"

  
"I'll tell you what you're going to do... you'll going to die!" Nikashi shrieked, backhanding Sailor Venus across the face and sending her flying into Sailor Moon, both of the Senshi crumpling to the ground. "Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, Grenate... finish them off! And then kill those three meddling little bitches over by that wall while you're at it!"

Nikashi leapt back, allowing the four warriors whose lives she'd just saved to pounce on the Senshi like jackals. Flarinsa blasted Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter with fireballs, while Patrick rained ice slabs on Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon, still struggling to stand after Nikashi sent them tumbling onto one another. Grenate kicked Sailor Mars to the ground, and Elbarzad began slashing her with blasts of wind, each one cutting across her body like the slash of a blade. All Rose, Angela, and Cammy could do was watch in horror as the girls whom they clearly recognized as their friends were being beaten to death, right before their eyes.

__

"Those aren't the Sailor Senshi... they're Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina... I don't know how, but they're both at the same time..." thought Rose.

__

"This can't be happening!" Angela thought, tears forming in her eyes. "Leave them alone! Leave our friends alone right now!"

__

"And after the Senshi, we're next..." thought Cammy, sobbing into her hands. _"Please... please, don't die... you have to fight... you have to fight... you have to..."_

As fear and terror overwhelmed the three girls, memories of their past lives, once thought to be locked away forever, came flooding back. The dreams, the horrible nightmares, suddenly inundated the girls' minds as if they were real, actual memories of their pasts. Along with the terrible memories came the good ones, the memories of fighting alongside Trunks and Ami, even at the costs of the young girls' lives. Trauma, it seemed, was reawakening the girls that once inhabited those frail bodies... and trauma, it seemed, would soon unleash the saviors of the Sailor Senshi.

"I said leave our friends alone!" 

  
Angela could suddenly feel intense energy, rapidly circulating throughout her entire body. Her hands began to light up with a bright blue glow, and her long, beautiful sky blue hair began flowing back, despite the complete absence of wind in the room. Next to Angela, her two sisters felt the effects of similar transformations, as energy rapidly surfaced within their own bodies. In seconds, the girls were transformed, their old lives and memories merging with the new, their old identities returning, and their powers re-awakening once more. Flarinsa stopped her assault on Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter and turned, the first to sense the new power.

  
"What are those girls doing back there, and what... oh my gosh, their clothes... they've completely changed!"

  
Sure enough, the girls' normal school fuku uniforms had disappeared, replaced instead with their old outfits. Rose was now in a bright pink outfit consisting of a short top that went from her shoulders to just below her chest, and a pair of loose, baggy pink pants. Angela wore a beautiful, light blue dress decorated with many bows, while Cammy wore a skintight green jumpsuit, with flashy white stripes down the sides, and long white gloves on her hands. The four villains had by now stopped their attack on the Senshi, and were completely focused on the three girls who had apparently made some sort of incredible magical transformation without them even noticing. This enraged all of them deeply, especially Flarinsa.

  
"What did you just DO?" Flarinsa shrieked. Sailor Mercury looked up from the ground, rising onto one knee and glancing at her three re-awakened friends.

"They... they got their powers back..." Sailor Mercury whispered. "I can sense it... but how..."

"This is an interesting development," said Nikashi, looking over toward the three girls. "Well, what are you waiting for, you fools! Attack them!"

  
"But what about the Senshi?" asked Elbarzad.

"Nevermind the Senshi," said Patrick, his gaze fixated on Cammy, his obsession. "These three will be a cinch to subdue... _and once we do, Cammy will be all mine..."_

"Let me tell you something," said Cammy, stepping forward with a conviction and confidence that her sisters had never seen before, even in their past lives. "The last waking minutes before I re-awakened here, do you know where I was? On a field, in this barren world, being slowly and brutally killed by a vicious monster, unable to beg for my life, barely able to scream... my last thought was 'don't let me die like this... I don't want to die!'... if you think I'll allow you, even for one second, to even think about killing me... you're completely and utterly wrong!"

__

"Such incredible determination... such strength... it certainly will be fun to take her," thought Patrick, just before Cammy pointed her hands at the four warriors and fired a huge blast of pink magical energy. The blast came in so fast that none of them had time to react, and were all caught in the huge explosion, quickly sent crashing to their knees. The nearby Senshi, though severely weakened, scrambled out of the way as best as they could, barely making it out of the blast radius of the attack.

"Oops!" Cammy said with a giggle. "Sorry, guys... almost hit you there..."

The dust from the attack quickly cleared, and Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate slowly got up from the attack, though it took them a few seconds to recover. Angela, wasting no time at all, pointed her arms at the four recovering warriors and began an attack of her own.

"I don't have any inspirational things to say like Cammy did, but I will say this... you four should take some time to stop and smell the flowers!"

"The WHAT?" Flarinsa groaned angrily, rising to her feet. "I don't care about any of this flower crap, I-"

Suddenly, a huge wave of razor-sharp, magically infused flower petals came buzzing toward Flarinsa and her companions. Before they could get out of the way, the petals slashed them, all of them, hundreds of times, creating a large spray of blood as the petals flew past. As the petals reached Nikashi, she casually reached out and pointed her arm at them, disintegrating them all with a single blast of magic. But Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate weren't as lucky. Their bodies were covered with tiny cuts, caused by the hundreds of flower petals ripping their flesh. Angela gasped and raised her hands to her mouth, surprised by the brutality of her attack. Cammy gasped as well.

"I'm, um... sorry..." Angela said. "I really didn't mean to hurt you guys that much..."

"Don't be sorry, Angie-chan..." Rose said, stepping forward. "They deserved it! All of it!"

Suddenly, four large vines, two from each of Rose's hands, rushed out toward the four bleeding warriors. They quickly wrapped around their chests, binding their arms to their sides. Then, the vines wrapped and intertwined around one another, leaving the four elemental warriors bound and tied to one another, held out high in the air by the deadly, squeezing vines. As the vines began to constrict, all four of them began to scream, causing Nikashi to growl in disgust.

"I can't believe it!" Nikashi shrieked. "You idiots are getting beaten by a bunch of flowers! Pandemonium IS an idiot... you four are completely useless!"

"I can't believe it..." said Sailor Moon quietly, her eyes wide open as she watched Rose slowly squeeze their four powerful adversaries into submission. "They're all so powerful..."

"Not really," said Cammy, with a smile. "You'd have killed them too, if that dominatrix lady hadn't cheated so much..."

"CHEATED?" Nikashi shrieked. "This battle was five-on-five! And I am not a... not a... whatever you called me!"

  
Rose suddenly swung the vine toward the ground, slamming all four elemental warriors into the hard, tiled floor. Then, she swung the vine the other way, slamming them to the ground again. She repeated the process several more times, leaving a large crack on the ground every time the four made contact. Finally, Rose stopped, and the vines released their captives. Flarinsa and the others fell to the floor. Their bodies were even more bruised and battered than the Senshi's, and on top of that, all four were unconscious. Rose, Angela, and Cammy looked at Nikashi for a brief second, and then walked over to the five Senshi.

"You guys are hurt..." said Angela, putting her hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "We can heal you...."

  
"It'll take a lot of our energy, though," said Rose. "But that's okay... we're just glad to see you all again!"

"Rosemary, Angelica, Chamomile... all of you... I missed you so much!" Sailor Mercury said, gently wrapping her arms around Cammy. "Especially you... after you died so terribly, I thought-"  
  
"It's alright... I've had a long time to deal with that now... really, I'm okay," said Cammy. "Our old lives fused with our new ones... so we've got all the memories from both lives."

"Hey!" shrieked Nikashi from the other end of the room. "You've completely forgotten about me... your happy little reunion will be short-lived, Sailor Senshi!"

"You're really willing to take us all on?" Rose asked, stepping toward Nikashi. "After we so easily handled your pathetic little soldiers?"

"That's right!" Nikashi shouted. "I'm much more powerful than them, and..."

"And after we're healed, it's eight on one," said Sailor Moon, rising to her feet. All her wounds and bruises had been completely healed, and soon, after Cammy and Angela had healed the others, all five Senshi were completely back to full strength. Now, Nikashi seemed much more uneasy about taking them on. Though she was extremely powerful, it was still eight on one... and they had dispatched Flarinsa's squad so easily. 

"Admit it, we've won," said Sailor Moon.

"So give Bulma back, right now!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

Nikashi stumbled over to her four fallen companions, who were still unconscious after Rose's attack. She looked at the Senshi, Rose, Angela, and Cammy, and then back down at the four unconscious warriors. 

"Rest assured, Senshi... and you stupid, foolish meddling girls... you haven't seen the last of me!" Nikashi shrieked. A brilliant flash of light appeared, and then, all five warriors were gone. The Senshi, Rose, Angela, and Cammy walked into the center of the room and began to look around.

"Okay, we beat those dweebs," said Cammy, stretching her limbs up into the air. 

"So... where's Bulma?" Sailor Mercury shouted frantically. "We won, didn't we?"

---

"Dammit!" Pandemonium shouted, pounding his fist against the monitor where he had been watching the fight. The other monitor showed Trunks, still sitting obediently in his chair in the kitchen of his house. There was a cage behind him, from where Bulma had also been watching the fight. 

"Take that, you jerk!" Bulma shouted. "And now that the Senshi have won, you have to let me go, right now!"

"You want me to let you go?" Pandemonium asked, reaching over and grabbing Bulma by the jaw. "Then send Trunks this message."  


Pandemonium released Bulma's jaw, then struck her hard in the face, instantly knocking her out. She fell to the floor of the cage, and then disappeared.

"I sent her back," said Pandemonium. "Be thankful I didn't kill her."

  
---

"They said we'd get Bulma back when we won!" Sailor Mercury sobbed, tears streaking down her face. 

"I knew those jerks would go back on their word," said Sailor Mars angrily. "We're just going to have to save Bulma ourselves..."

"But how do we-" Sailor Moon began, before suddenly, Bulma fell from the top of the room. Sailor Mercury reached up and caught her, quickly setting her down on the ground and trying to wake her up.

  
"Bulma, are you alright?" Sailor Mercury asked, her tears falling on Bulma's face. _"No... no, please, you have to wake up! Bulma, Trunks needs you! I can't let him down!"_

"She's just unconscious, Ami," Sailor Jupiter said, brushing Bulma's hair back away from her face. "Whoever was holding her captive hit her in the face pretty hard... but she'll be okay... we need to get her back to Trunks as soon as possible!"

"Like, right now," Sailor Moon said, quickly turning to the other Senshi. "Let's do a Sailor Teleport and get back to the outside... are you girls sure this place is in Trunks' dimension?"  


"Yeah... I recognize the waves this dimension gives off," said Angela, looking around. "This is Trunks' world all right.... but we'd better hurry, before they try to leave this dimension..."

"Yeah," said Sailor Mars, joining hands with Sailor Moon. "We need to hurry and get Bulma back to her house..."

The Senshi, Rose, Cammy, and Angela linked hands. Bulma was inbetween Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, who were holding up her unconscious form as gently as they could.

"Sailor... Teleport!" shouted the five Sailor Senshi. Within seconds, the nine women had successfully teleported out of Exeter's space station. As they left, one thought echoed through Sailor Mercury's mind, causing her to tremble as she teleported away. In order to exterminate the terrible evil that had befallen both Trunks' and her world, she and the Senshi would have to return... and Trunks would have to come along as well.

---

Back in the Briefs' kitchen, Trunks had been sitting down in the chair for more than an hour, staring down the camera. He still didn't know that Pandemonium had stopped watching quite some time ago after his warriors had been defeated. All he knew was that he had to sit there, completely still, in that chair, hoping that Ami and her friends would be safe... and that they would bring his beloved mother back safely. Finally, a familiar voice rang through his ears.

"Trunks? Trunks, are you-"

  
Trunks turned around and stood up so quickly that he knocked the chair out from under him. There, standing in the entrance of the kitchen, was his mother Bulma, smiling from ear-to-ear. He ran to her and wrapped her up in a tight embrace, as he finally let the tears come to his eyes.

"Oh, mom.... I'm so sorry I left and didn't come back... I'm sorry I let you get captured... I'm sorry that-"

"Trunks, you're not sorry to see me, are you?" asked Bulma, gently pulling away from Trunks enough to look into his sparking eyes. She gently wiped the tears from his face before embracing him again. "I love you, Trunks... I'm just so happy to see you..."

"I love you too, mom... I promise never to let anything happen to you again..."

As Trunks hugged his mother, he could see another familiar face in the doorway. Standing there in her red, white, and blue schoolgirl uniform was Ami, a happy and loving smile on her face, even bigger than the one that had been on his mother's. As she stood there, smiling the biggest smile that she had been able to smile in a long time, all Trunks could do was mouth just six words to her.

"Ami... I love you... thank you."

__

"Love you too, Trunks," Ami said to Trunks, her thoughts transmitting the message. For Trunks and Ami, right now at this moment, that was all they needed to hear.

---

  
So romantic... so sweet... it makes me think about how much I love MY mommy! ^_^ Okay, wait a minute... I'm a 16-year-old boy, maybe I shouldn't be saying these things. Welp, it's too late now... please review everyone!


	7. A Day In The Future

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. ^_^ In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: The reason I decided to write this fics is because Mirai Trunks/Ami is so hard to find... yeah, it is sappy... and bloody... ^_^ Guess I'm just trying to get the maximum dramatic effect, hee...

Kaiya: Why, thank you for your support! The battle lasted like the whole chapter too... and it was a BIG chapter! ^_^ It's probably my best battle so far this story... well, I think so anyway.

GracedAngel1854: Well, I had to end it SOME time... my fingers were starting to get tired! Guess it's easier to read than to write, ne?

MWD: Actually, that's the distinctive thing with this story... there are no Z-Fighters, except for Mirai Trunks. Otherwise, it'd look just like any other DBZ/SM crossover out there... hopefully you don't mind the unique flavor! Thanks for reviewing!

---

Standing just outside the front door of the Briefs' home, Serena, Rei, Lita, Mina, Rose, Angela, and Cammy had been spared the sentimentality of Bulma and Trunks' reunion, and so, while Trunks, Ami, and Bulma were shedding tears in the house, the seven girls standing outside got a chance to discuss the day's events. For Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina, it was actually their first chance to meet the three powerful girls that they'd heard about in Ami's stories.

"Ami was right," said Serena, who, along with the other Senshi, had detransformed after returning to Trunks' world. Rose, Angela, and Cammy were still stuck in their elaborate outfits, because their powers were permanent, and not just part of a transformation. Once they had reawakened, they would retain their powers forever and always. "You three are really strong..."

"But Ami said she kicked your butts when you girls used to be evil," said Rei. "How'd you get so-"

"We're really no stronger than the five of you!" Rose said, smiling. "You guys were tremendously strong... even Ami was tougher than she was when she faced us!"

  
"That's because we've been training with Trunks," Lita said, pointing to the large training capsule adjacent to the house. "He's taught us how to channel and concentrate our energy so our attacks will be stronger."

"So, basically... you five can do exactly what we've known how to do almost all of our lives," Angela said matter-of-factly. "That explains why you're all so strong!"

  
"But you didn't answer _our _question," Rei replied. "How'd you beat those four goons so fast, when we were almost killed by them?"

"I guess we've gotten a little bit stronger than we were in our past lives..." said Cammy. 

"We haven't really gotten the chance to train, since we've basically been trapped in our own minds as fragments of memory," said Angela. "All we've been able to really do is to meditate... so I guess that's helped us out a little. But the only reason you guys weren't able to beat the fearsome foursome is because that lady that was with them interfered... otherwise, you'd have mopped the floor with them!"

"There's a way to find out who's stronger," Mina said. "All we have to do is have a little mock battle inside Trunks' training chamber... we wouldn't try to kill each other, of course. All we would do is spar for a little while, and-"

"That's a great idea!" Cammy shouted, her face lighting up with excitement. "Let's go get Trunks right away, and-"

"Guys, Ami said to wait out here..." Rei said, looking down and brushing the tip of her shoe against the dirt on the ground. "She wanted to give Trunks and Bulma a chance to have some privacy before we came in and started asking her questions."

"We're not going to ask anything, we already know everything about those jerks that we need to know!" said Serena, reaching for the doorknob. "And besides, it's not like Ami's gonna yell at us or anything... it's not in her nature!"

"First of all, Serena, we _don't _know everything about those jerks that we need to know," Lita interrupted, gently grabbing Serena's hand. "Besides the fact that we were in this dimension, we don't even know exactly where we fought those guys at."

"It looked like the inside of a palace to me," said Serena.

"Wherever we were, it was _big_," said Cammy. "And a little bit cold... and scary. But not too scary for me!"

"Well, we still shouldn't interrupt whatever Trunks and Bulma are doing," said Rei, looking up at the front door to the Briefs' home. "I say we wait out here until Ami says we can come-"

Suddenly, the door opened, and a smiling Ami poked her head outside. All seven girls turned toward her.

"Okay, guys... Bulma wants all of you to come in for lunch, so-"

"See, Rei, I told you we could come in!" Serena said, eagerly licking her lips. "Lunch, here I come!"

  
"We still had to wait for Ami, Serena!" Rei snapped.

"Now, since there's seven of you, you should probably wait to come in in an orderly-" Ami meekly began before the seven girls charged inside, whizzing past Ami and dashing eagerly into the kitchen, where several plates of food had been prepared. Ami, her orderly, straight blue hair slightly frazzled by the activity, sighed, blew back the excess her from her face, closed the door, and gracefully entered the kitchen.

----

The kitchen table, not nearly big enough to accommodate ten people, had been converted into something a bit more suited for the occasion by pushing in another table from the living room. As the food was passed around and served out, everyone wanted to talk to Bulma, wanting to make certain that she was alright after her ordeal. Bulma confidently fielded all of the questions with a broad smile on her face.

"Of course I wasn't going to cry for those bastards!" Bulma said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "You should've seen the look on that guy's face when I told him that Trunks was going to kick his butt... he was petrified!"

"Mom, that guy knew I wasn't coming," Trunks replied. "He was probably just surprised by your reaction to him... he didn't know you'd be so brave!"

"Well, of course I was... I had to be, Trunks... if I showed any sign of weakness, they might not have let me get back to you," Bulma said, gripping Trunks' hand under the table. From Ami's vantage point, next to Trunks and two seats away from Bulma, she could see an inner strength within Bulma that she fully appreciated and greatly admired.

__

"Trunks didn't get all of his strength from his father, that's for sure..." Ami thought, as she watched Bulma, quickly recovering from an ordeal that might have permanently traumatized someone else. "Mrs. Briefs... you know that all of us are just glad that you're back, safe and sound."

"That's right!" Serena said, putting down her fork and raising her glass to Bulma. "I propose a toast-"

"Please, please, no..." Bulma said, humbly shaking her head. "You guys are the real heroes... all of you... you fought to save my life, and I can't begin to thank you enough."

"Are you sure?" Serena said, slowly lowering her glass. "It's not every day that all of the Sailor Senshi at once decide to honor someone..."

"Really, I'm positive," Bulma said. "But thank you, anyway."

"I guess I should be thanking all of you, too," Trunks said. "I've already thanked Ami, but now that all of you are here.... especially you three."

Trunks turned his head toward Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who were sitting at the opposite side of the table. As their eyes met with Trunks', the girls meekly blushed, and nodded their heads. 

"The pleasure is ours, Trunks," Rose said quietly. "It's the least we could do after all those times we tried to destroy you and Ami..."

"And didn't we try to take Bulma hostage once?" Angela asked. "But Trunks came in at the last minute and saved the day..."

"Oh, I'm sure you girls wouldn't have hurt me..." Bulma said, causing Cammy to giggle. "You're too nice for any of that mean stuff... you're still good guys, right? Even with your powers?"

"Of course we are!" Cammy said. "We saved you, didn't we? And if we were bad, Trunks would just kick our butts again..."

  
"I don't know," Trunks said, a smile forming on his face. "From what Ami told me about the way you guys completely annihilated Nikashi's forces, I think it might go the other way around this time..."

Everyone at the table laughed for a few seconds, and then the eating resumed, with conversation lightly interspersed between. It seemed that Mina and Cammy had completely forgotten about the idea to have the Senshi and the three sisters spar in Trunks' training chamber, but another topic of equally important relevance did come up later in the meal.

"It's just a good thing that wherever we were was in this dimension," said Angela as she finished off a slice of apple pie that she was eating. "Because otherwise, there'd be no way for Bulma to get back!"

  
All activity at the table stopped, and the room became silent as Angela's words began to sink in. Trunks turned toward Angela, his face a somber mask of worry. Angela gasped, and then slowly continued.

"Well, think of it this way. Pandemonium was still holding Trunks hostage with that video camera, and he's the one with the dimensional transport thingy, remember? If we had been in Ami's dimension, we'd have had no way back to this one, and Trunks wouldn't have gotten up from his seat because he thought Bulma would get killed if he did, you see?"

"You mean.... Ami... and my mom... would have been trapped in the other dimension... forever? And would have been helpless if Pandemonium or Nikashi had decided to attack?"

A chill went down Trunks' spine, as the horrific scenario Angela had presented to him began to slowly permeate his mind. Ami noticed the trembles in Trunks' hand, and gripped it tightly, looking directly into his eyes.

"Trunks, you'd have decided to come back to my dimension eventually," Ami said, trying to offer Trunks a bit of solace. "You'd have figured out we were trapped in the other dimension, and you would have come right there to find us. Bulma would just stay at my mother's house with me until you came... I know you'd have come, Trunks."

"But... what would have happened if... I didn't... until it was too late?" Trunks asked. "It could have been disastrous, and-"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Trunks," Bulma said, a smile returning to her face. "It's over now, and as soon as we're done with lunch, I can make another dimensional transport wand, and give it to Ami! That way, you can both go back and forth in the dimensions as you please!"

"You... you can really do that, mom?" Trunks asked.

"Of course I can!" Bulma said. "After that first one, a second one will be a cinch. I just have to get a bit more of Ami's energy, which shouldn't be too hard. I can probably have a second wand made by tomorrow!"

  
"See, Trunks?" Ami said. "Your mother's going to make a wand for me, so I'll be able to go back and forth between my world and yours, just like you can! Isn't that wonderful, Trunks?"

"Yeah..." Trunks said, although it was much harder for him to flash a smile than it was for Ami or Bulma. Trunks still had a long way to go before he could feel completely safe and secure about both Ami and his mom, after almost losing them just hours before. _"And it would have been my fault, too..."  
_

"Speaking of after lunch," Mina said, suddenly remembering what she had originally wanted to ask Trunks and Bulma. "I was talking to Rose, Angela, and Cammy, and I got to thinking... now that all the Senshi can control their energy, who's stronger? The Senshi, or the three sisters?"

"Yeah!" Cammy said, almost eager enough to jump clear out of her seat. "So we got to thinking... why don't we have a friendly spar, inside the training chamber? Five-on-three, it wouldn't matter.... I think we're about equal in strength, but it'd be really interesting to see, wouldn't it?"

"I'm not sure if fighting between you guys is exactly the right thing to do," Trunks said. "Right now, we're fighting a war, against a deadly and vicious enemy. We need to think about unity, not about which fighter is stronger than anyone else. I know it sounds really stupid, but-"

"No, Trunks is right," said Ami, looking at him and nodding her head. "We're all really strong, and if we do go into the training chamber, we'll need to work on training together, not apart."

"You would agree with your boyfriend," Cammy mumbled, although not loud enough for anyone at the table to hear.

"Actually... I think it would be really good training to have a little five-on-three match!" Serena said. "Think of the possibilities... all of the techniques we could try out, the battle experience we'll gain..."

"But... but someone could get hurt," Angela said, looking around at everyone seated at the table. "When really powerful forces collide, there can be a lot of potential damage... and anyone caught the wrong way in any of our attacks might be in serious danger."

"Mom, what do you think?" Trunks asked, looking over at Bulma. Bulma looked down for a few seconds, putting her hand on her chin, looking as if she was deep in thought. Then, she looked back up, and came to a quick and easy solution.

  
"Well, I'm going to be working on the new transportation wand after lunch," said Bulma. "Trunks, I know you know how to work the training chamber, but... a sparring match as big as this one sounds like it's going to be needs a good referee, and I want you to be able to be inside the chamber with the girls when the match is happening. So instead of training today, why don't you all go to Nihimo Town and take a look around? I know that Ami is the only one here who's actually seen the town, so it'll be a good learning experience for the rest of you girls."

"Hey, wait... the last time we were here, we were mean, and we attacked people!" Cammy said, a sad look appearing on her face. "Won't the villagers be mad at us?"

"Cammy, the only people we attacked were that kid in the glasses and his mom," said Rose, "and we apologized to them, remember?"  


"Besides, his kid sister really likes you, Cammy!" Angela said, pinching Cammy's left cheek. "Remember, 'Girl nice! Girl nice!'?"

Cammy giggled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right...." Cammy said, putting her hand to her cheek. "And don't pinch me like that!"

"I guess we could go to the town," Mina said. "It'll be interesting to see how people in this world live..."

"Are they like those people I heard about on TV, from America?" Serena asked. "You know, the ones that live in trailer parks and watch pro wrestling and have sex with their cous-"

"SERENA!" shouted Rei, her entire face turning red with embarrassment. "You'll have to forgive her, she-"

"Nobody has to forgive me, Rei!" Serena replied, angrily growling at the black-haired girl sitting next to her at the table. "I know exactly what I said, and-"

"Guys, guys, let's just go to the town now," said Lita, standing up from the table. "Trunks, none of us can fly, so..."

"You know, one of these days, I really should teach all of you to fly," Trunks said, standing up along with Ami. "You've got more than enough energy to be able to do it... I can't believe I haven't already taught Ami."

"Maybe... maybe now would be a good time to teach all of us, Trunks!" Ami said, smiling brightly. "I'd really love to learn...."

"I would do it now, but flying is one of those things that's easy to master, but really, really hard to learn in the first place," said Trunks. "You girls are all really smart, but it would still take me probably twelve hours to teach all of you. We could do it tomorrow, though... mom will still be working on the transportation wand then, so we'll have something to do while we still won't be able to go into the training chamber and have that sparring match. Unless you all really want to learn now..."

"No, that's alright, Trunks... tomorrow's not a school day, so we'll be able to get up first thing in the morning and learn to fly, and we'll still be able to get back home in time for supper," Ami said, kissing Trunks on the cheek. "I just hope we don't get in much trouble on Monday for missing school today..."

"School, schmool, this is the best kind of learning!" said Serena. "I mean, how many chances do you get to take a field trip to a town in another dimension?"

"That's true," said Lita. "This is going to be really fun!"

After saying their goodbyes to Bulma, Trunks and the girls exited the house and stood outside on the front porch. 

"Now, Nihimo Town isn't the most exciting place in the world," Trunks said humbly. "It's got a few shops and a lot of houses... no sports, or anything like that, unless you count the two basketball goals we've set up in the little park outside of town. We're probably just going to go to my friend Chris' house, and then to a few of the shops."

"You mean... we're not gonna play basketball?" Rose asked. "I kinda started liking the game at school back in the other dimension..."

"You don't just like it, you're the captain of the girls team," said Angela, shaking her head. "And basketball's dumb. You get all sweaty, and-"

"We'll decide what to do when we get there," said Trunks. "Now, this might feel a little weird... I'm going to use my powers to carry all of you into town. Don't worry, I promise not to drop any of you..."

  
Trunks slowly began to lift up into the air. A small aura of white ki began to flow calmly around him, gently picking up the eight girls and lifting them up to the same height in the air as Trunks. Then, he turned toward the village and zoomed off at an incredible speed, taking the girls along for the ride. Besides the few initial shrieks from Cammy and Serena, the thirty-mile trip went smoothly.

---

After a few minutes of extremely fast flying, Trunks reached Nihimo Town, gently setting down at the town entrance and allowing his eight passengers to float gracefully down to the ground. 

"That was a pretty comfy ride, Trunks...." Serena said, blushing slightly. "Though I'll admit, being jettisoned through the air at three hundred miles per hour was really scary at first...."

"At first?" Rei asked. "You were screaming the whole time!"  
  
"Guys, guys, please don't fight," Ami said, stepping in between the two girls.

"Yeah!" said Rose, pointing toward the town. "We don't wanna be kicked out or anything..."

  
"This isn't a library," Cammy groaned. "Look at all the kids running around in the streets, yelling with joy! I love this place!"

As the nine teenagers walked into town, they could see the hustle and bustle of everyday life all around them. The streets of the town were filled with activity, as people went back and forth, from street to street and from building to building as they carried on their daily tasks. 

"So, do we have to stick with you, Trunks? Or can we go anywhere we want?" Cammy asked, eagerly looking around the village. "There's so many things I want to do... so much stuff I wanna buy! Wait, I don't have any money..."

  
Trunks sighed.

  
"I didn't bring any, you guys..." Trunks said. "Sorry... but there's really not anything here you'd want to buy anyway. This place is nothing like Tokyo... besides, there's plenty of things you girls can do here besides shopping."

"You're right," said Cammy. "Maybe we should just go to your friend Chris' house like we were originally gonna do..."

"How about the rest of you?" Trunks asked, turning to the others.  


"Lita, do you wanna go try and find the basketball court?" Rose asked. Lita replied with a nod, and the two girls walked away from the group to search for the basketball court. Trunks had told them that was somewhere outside the town, so the two decided they would go about finding it by following the outskirts of town for a while until they reached the park where the basketball court was. While they were doing this, the others had decided that they would all go visit Chris and his mother, who lived near the center of town. But just as they began to go, a teenage girl wearing a bright green baseball cap ran over to Trunks.

"Trunks, the mayor said that he needs to see you right away," said the girl, a friendly smile on her face. "Your friends can come if they want..."

"I'll go alone," said Trunks, turning to Ami. "Would you take the others to Chris' house? I think I showed you where it was a few months ago when it was rebuilt..."  


Ami nodded.

"I remember, dear," Ami said, kissing Trunks on the cheek. "I hope he has something good to say to you..."

"Come with me, please," said the girl, pointing toward the two-story house that still served as the town hall. Trunks and the girl walked toward the building, while Ami led Serena, Rei, Mina, Angela, and Cammy to a brick building adjacent to a crowded market street.

"Chris and his mom live in the first floor of this building," Ami said. "Now, I know they've met Angela and Cammy... but not any of you other three, so you'll have to introduce yourselves once you come inside."

  
"Are you sure they'll want us here?" Rei asked cautiously. "I mean, just barging into their house, without calling first?"

"Chris and his mom are really friendly," said Ami, gently knocking on the door. "I'm sure they won't mind all of us coming in for a few minutes..."

---

But thirty minutes later, Chris and his mom were still talking to the six girls. Chris and his mom sat at the small loveseat on one side of the living room, while Serena, Rei, and Mina filled a couch on the other side. Ami, Cammy, and Angela were seated in the second couch on that end of the room, neatly placed right next to the first one. When the girls had entered the house, Chris' mom had just gotten done baking an entire pan of cookies, and now, Chris, his mom, and the six girls had just about finished off the last of the chocolate chip confections. 

"So... you're sure you guys aren't still mad about that... that whole threatening thing eight months ago?" Cammy asked, referring to when she and her sisters had broken into Chris' house and had interrogated Chris about Trunks' whereabouts while they were still working under Crysthea. Though Angela had put the incident behind her, her slightly more insecure sister Cammy still had a twinge of regret about the entire episode. Chris' mom simply replied with a smile.

"We already told you, it's forgiven... we tend to put the past behind us, since our past has been so bad..." said Chris' mom, brushing back her hair. "And besides, little Kiara loves you!"

"Cammy! Cammy! Cammy!" said the small two-year-old girl in Cammy's lap, happily waving her arms back and forth. Cammy smiled and picked her up, bouncing the toddler up and down on her lap as Kiara eagerly cheered her on.

"She's adorable!" Serena said, looking over at the girl in Cammy's arms. "Chris, you're not mean to your little sister, are you?"

"Of course not!" Chris shouted defensively.

"I wouldn't say that," said Chris' mom, playfully nudging her son in the side. "Every time you had to change her diapers, you would whine and pout...."

"Thank God she just finished potty training," said Chris, wiping his arm across his forehead. The girls seated at the couches across the room began to giggle, Angela giggling the loudest of all.

"I wonder what all of us must have been like for our mother as toddlers... since we were all born only about a year apart," Angela said. "Poor mom... _whoever she is..."_

"Oh, I'm sure you three weren't too much trouble," said Chris' mom. "Motherhood is a joy, not a burden... I love both of my children very much."

"I'm just glad that you three are alright," Chris said, looking at Angela and Cammy. "After Trunks told me what happened to all of you... I thought I'd never see any of you again! I kinda didn't think I'd be saying this, but... I sorta missed you guys."

"You're... serious?" Angela asked, a stunned look on her face. "Even after all the mean stuff we did to you?"  


"Angie-chan, you heard what Chris' mom said... it's water under the bridge now!" Cammy replied, looking down at Kiara, whom she was still holding in her arms. "Isn't that right? Isn't that right?"

"Once you were gone, I realized that... even though sometimes people might start out as jerks, they really might be nice people on the inside," said Chris. "What you three did... sacrificing yourselves to help Trunks... that was really noble of all of you."

"Just like your father sacrificed himself to save you and your mother," Ami said. 

"Yeah," Chris replied, with a solemn nod. "I still miss him, too..."

"It's okay," said Angela, getting up from her seat and walking over to Chris, wrapping her arms around his back. "We never knew our father... it was hard for us, and it must be hard for you too..."

As Angela hugged Chris, he couldn't help but blush at the surprising display of sympathy from the girl with the beautiful, sky-blue hair. Even his skin tingled slightly as Angela slowly pulled away.

  
"Thank you," said Chris, a light blush still on his face. "I... I'm feeling a lot better now, and I'm glad that you girls are alive again."

"I think Chris is a little bit more than glad," whispered Mina to Serena and Rei. "Look... he's blushing! It's only a little bit, but you can still tell!"

__

"I wonder how Trunks' meeting with the mayor is going..." Ami thought, her mind drifting away to thoughts of her beloved.

---

But Trunks' meeting with the mayor hadn't yet begun. After what was nearly a forty-five minute break, Trunks was starting to get a little bit annoyed as he sat on the hard, wooden bench placed just outside the mayor's office.

__

"This is bullcrap," Trunks thought, tapping his foot lightly on the ground. _"That girl told me that the mayor needed to see me right away..."_

Finally, the door to the mayor's office opened, and the same girl's voice beckoned him inside.

"The mayor will see you now," said the girl, and with a loud sigh of relief, Trunks briskly entered the mayor's office, while the girl waited outside.

"Trunks, have a seat," said the mayor, gesturing to a chair placed at the other side of the desk. As Trunks sat down, the mayor began to speak again. "Surely, you must know about the attack on our town yesterday."

"Why shouldn't I?" Trunks asked, slightly annoyed. "I was the main target... didn't you see me get whipped right in the face?"

"Yes, and it was very distressing to watch," said the mayor, noticing the small piece of medical tape still on Trunks' cheek from the previous day's fight with Nikashi. "You certainly fought back rather well, however... you chased that foul witch from our town, and I applaud you for that."

"Then... is that it?" Trunks asked. "You just wanted to offer me a commendation?"

"Not exactly," said the mayor, adjusting the strap on the red necktie dangling from his neck. "You must also know of the damage caused to one of the buildings in our town..."

"Of course I do, I saw it happen," said Trunks. "The person living there... I hope they're alright....?"  


"The family that was living in that house barely got out before the roof collapsed," said the mayor, a frown coming quickly to his face. "One of the people in that house was a young child, Trunks. A boy little more than five years old. Do you know what happened to him, Trunks?"

"No," said Trunks, his face becoming fraught with worry, as concern for the child suddenly came to his mind. "He's not hurt, is he?"

"No, but he inhaled quite a bit of plaster, and he's been coughing for the past twenty-four hours... a very bad cough," said the mayor. "The boy's already suffering from asthma, so this plaster inhalation he had to endure yesterday was especially difficult for him. His parents said that he still might not be out of the woods yet."  


"I'm... I'm very sorry," Trunks said regretfully. "Is there anything I can do? I could visit the boy and his family... I could apologize... I'm very sorry."

"No need to apologize, Trunks, it wasn't your fault," said the mayor. "However... and you should probably know this as well... that witch _was _targeting you, Trunks. The people of this world already went through a series of attacks eight months ago, right after we'd just gotten rid of the androids. All we want now is _peace_, Trunks. _Peace. _Is that so much to ask?"

Trunks was speechless. He'd already had to go through the horrible process of feeling guilty when Quadra Town was attacked eight months ago, as thousands of lives had been taken by Serris on his rampaging hunt for Ami. Frieza had wiped another village off the face of the earth, adding a few hundred more names to the death toll. Now, Trunks' presence had endangered his world again, as the deadly villains who he and the Senshi were locked in battle with had target both Ami's world and his. Trouble, it seemed, was going wherever Trunks went, and targeting the people he loved, his friends, his mother, his wonderful, angelic soulmate... the mayor's words carried with them not one iota of falseness, and Trunks knew it. That was why they were so painful to him.

"I know that you visit your friend Ami's world quite often, am I correct?" asked the mayor. Trunks nodded, wondering what, if anything, Ami's world had to do with the current situation. Of course, Trunks instantly knew, seeing as how all the beings that had attacked his world in the recent months had originated from Ami's world, originally in pursuit of Ami, and then turning their wrath on Trunks' world when they couldn't find her. "I... was wondering if you and your mother would perhaps consider taking up permanent residence there."

  
"You mean you're.... thinking about banishing me?" asked Trunks, causing the mayor to quickly shake his head.

"No, of course not!" said the mayor. "We couldn't possibly... it would simply be a request, to protect the people of this town. And I'm not asking you to do it yet... I'm just saying that we don't want any more attacks on our people..."

"Sir, I promise you... I will not let any of those fiends harm a single person in this town!" Trunks shouted, rising up from his chair and pointing his finger at the mayor. "You have my word!"

"You might say that, but...."

"I absolutely swear, there will be no further damage caused to this town, or any town, or anyone on this planet! I will hunt down and destroy those who are responsible for attacking me and my friends, I promise!"

With great conviction, Trunks turned around and exited the room, not even waiting for the mayor to say another word. The stunned man simply slumped back into his chair and sighed, as a bead of sweat slowly trickled down his face.

"With all of my heart, I sincerely hope you can honor that promise, Trunks...."

---

Lita and Rose had quickly found the park near the town, and were an instant hit at the basketball court with the younger children who had been there to play, especially the young girls, inspired by Lita and Rose's performance.

"I never knew there were girls who could play basketball better than all the boys here...." said a girl standing nearby, who looked to be about seven or eight, wearing small pigtails in her light, brown hair. "Are you gonna stay here forever?"

"No, I'm sorry.... we can only stay for a little while longer... but we'll be back tomorrow, okay?" asked Lita, leaning down and patting the girl on the head.

"Yeah, and tomorrow maybe we can start up a game!" Rose said. "How about girls vs. boys? Us two girls, and all of you, versus... all those guys over there!"

  
Rose pointed to a group of about ten boys, ranging in age from ten to fourteen, who were busy playing a game at the other basketball goal. A couple of them stopped playing to glance over at Rose, before returning back to their game.

"Hey, I was calling you guys out!" Rose shouted. When she received no reply, she turned back to Lita and huffed, "Men..."

"Well, I'm sure they'll be in a more competitive mood tomorrow," said Lita. "They're in a competitive mood now, since they're already playing a game, but... I really don't think any of them are real competition, now, are they?"  


The group of girls surrounding Lita and Rose began to giggle, and the two older girls giggled as well. They were having a great time acting as role models, and were really excited about becoming friends to as many people in town as they could. After a little while, Trunks walked onto the basketball court, returning from his trip to the mayor's house. Upon arrival, he was immediately swarmed by nearly every kid in the park, obviously an even bigger hit with the kids than Lita and Rose. Rose briefly shot Trunks a jealous glare, but then quickly regained her sweet, casual smile.

"Havin' fun?" asked Trunks.

"Yeah, these kids are all really nice..." said Lita, looking around at the group of kids currently crowded around Trunks. "Trunks, when you teach us to fly tomorrow, will you try to do it quick so we can come back here? I already promised the kids we would..."

"Trunks is gonna teach you guys to fly?" asked a boy in the crowd. "He never taught us how to fly..."

"I'm not going to teach them how to fly, they're silly," Trunks lied, turning to Lita and Rose, gritting his teeth and telling them, "Ixnay on the lightfay essonslay..."

"Gotcha," Rose whispered, nodding her head. 

"Well, it's probably time for me to be headed back to my home now... are you kids gonna be alright without me?" Trunks asked.

"Only if you come tomorrow!" shouted a girl in the crowd, followed by a chorus of 'yeah!'s from the other children. Trunks nodded, then walked out of the crowd of children and began speaking to Lita and Rose again.

  
"You two ready to go?" Trunks asked them.

  
"Well.... could we stay a little bit longer, Trunks? Can we? Can we?" Rose asked eagerly.

"Ehhhh.... I should probably be getting back to Tokyo pretty soon," Lita said. "Sorry, Rose... you're not mad, are you?"

"Nah," Rose said. "We're coming back tomorrow, after all!"

---

After Trunks had gathered up the other girls, he returned back to his house with them, and allowed them to say their last goodbyes to Bulma for the day before opening up a large portal for them to return home.

"You girls might want to change clothes before coming back home," said Trunks, commenting to Rose, Angela, and Cammy on their elaborate outfits.

  
"Don't worry, we'll find something casual to change back into," said Angela. "We've got another set of school uniforms at home, so I'm not worried about losing the other ones today..."

"We can probably just sneak back into the house," said Rose. "Mom and dad are both probably still at work..."

"Ami, you're going to stay with Trunks a bit longer?" Serena asked, noticing her friend standing over by Bulma on the front porch. Ami nodded.

"I'm going to help her out with her transportation wand by letting her channel some of my energy...."

"And then you and Trunks are gonna make out, right?" Mina asked. Ami giggled, while Trunks simply smiled and sighed.

"I think we've made enough fun of Trunks today," said Rei, pointing toward the portal. "We'd better head on back."  


"Goodbye, guys.... and thanks again to all of you for helping Bulma and me today," said Trunks. "My mom couldn't have gotten back without all of you..."

Bulma, who was taking a break from constructing the transformation wand to say goodbye to her guests, nodded from the front porch. As soon as Bulma nodded, the girls stepped back into the portal and were whisked away, back to their dimension and back to Tokyo once more.

---

But, still in Trunks' dimension, hovering far above Earth, was the giant space station of the Galactic Research Armada, and within the infirmary, suspended inside four liquid-filled recovery tanks, were Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate. Oxygen masks hooked up to radios inside their tanks allowed them to communicate with the outside, and right now, they were getting an angry lecture from Pandemonium, as he lambasted them for their failure earlier in the day.

"You even had Nikashi with you, and you STILL lost to the Sailor Senshi!" Pandemonium shouted. "Pathetic! Absolutely pathetic!"

"It wasn't just the Senshi!" shouted Flarinsa. "Those three flower bitches got their powers back, and we were completely caught off-guard! It won't happen again!"

  
"In fact," said Patrick, "if you just give us one chance to fight them alone, four-on-three... we'll annihilate them!"

"I'm listening," said Pandemonium, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "But how do you expect to get them alone?"

"We were hoping, uh, sir... that you could distract the Senshi for us," said Flarinsa. "I know it's a stretch to ask, but-"  


"Me, fight the weak, pathetic Senshi?" Pandemonium shouted. "They're not worth my time! I'm the one giving orders around here, and I say-"

"That you should already have subdued the half-breed by now," came a voice from just outside the room. Pandemonium immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Sunzeki, one of the strongest warriors in the universe, with power surpassing even his own. As Sunzeki stepped into the room, Pandemonium could sense his presence just from the immense power he gave off, a violent mixture of magic and ki energy that constantly pulsated through his entire body, giving him a bright, golden glow. His face was flawless, clean-shaven, with large, prominent green eyes and smooth, average-sized lips. His hair was silver in color, going neatly down the sides of his face and stopping just below his neck. He wore a shimmering blue and gold jumpsuit, with a large, golden-shaped sun icon on his chest. When he began to speak, the soft, deliberate tones of his voice rang through Pandemonium's ears like a trumpet announcing the coming of the apocolypse. Sunzeki was one of the only people Pandemonium truly feared.

  
"Sunzeki, I didn't know you'd be here..." Pandemonium said nervously.

"I've been sent directly from HQ... it seems you and Exeter are having a problem with the capture of Trunks," Sunzeki said. "Why hasn't Exeter made a single strike against the planet?"

"You know his style, Sunzeki, he likes to play the waiting game..."

  
"And who are these?" Sunzeki asked, glancing across the room at the four beings in the healing tanks. "These are your four best warriors, aren't they? What happened... did they get into a fight with the half-Saiyan and lose? I thought his subduction would be your job..." 

"Not... exactly," said Pandemonium, his voice beginning to tremble. "You see... they lost to... a group of female warriors."

"Female warriors?" Sunzeki said, starting to chuckle. "You don't mean those... Sailor Senshi that I've heard of in legend but have never actually seen in action. They're not actually... stronger than I thought they were, are they?"  


"A lot stronger!" Elbarzad shouted.

"But we'll destroy them, as soon as we-" Flarinsa began before Pandemonium pressed a button, simultaneously cutting off all the radios to all the healing tanks.

"Trunks is currently in love with one of them, is he not?" Sunzeki asked.

"Quite in love, actually," replied Pandemonium. "That's why we've been trying to get rid of the Senshi... and of course, we want to conquer the planet in addition to capturing Trunks, that's why we want to eliminate the Senshi first. Also, there's a group of girls that-"

"The so-called 'flower bitches', right?" Sunzeki replied. "Well, destroy whomever you please, but do understand that our esteemed leader wishes to have Trunks in his possession ASAP, and you know what that means, right?"  


"As... soon as possible?" Pandemonium said.

"**A**s **s**crewed **a**s **P**andemonium is going to be if he doesn't get Trunks very, very soon," said Sunzeki, walking out of the room. "I'll be living here to monitor your progress, so you'd best get busy."

As soon as Sunzeki had left the room, Pandemonium let out a sigh of relief, turning the radios in the healing tanks back on.

"As screwed as Pandemonium... what kind of a stupid-" Pandemonium began before Patrick cut him off.

"So, we can go after the three girls tomorrow, right?" Patrick asked.

"Yes, you can," said Pandemonium. "I guess I'll ask Nikashi about distracting the Senshi..."

"And lemme guess, you'll go after Trunks like Sunzeki ordered, right?" said Flarinsa in an obnoxious tone. Pandemonium angrily slammed his fist down on a red button, cutting off the radio in Flarinsa's healing tank again.

"No one orders me around," Pandemonium muttered. "No one."

---

"Tell me if this is too tight," Trunks said, securely tying a strong metal cable around Sailor Mercury's ankles. 

"No," Sailor Mercury said, "and I don't think the blood's rushing to my head, either..."

"That's what I'm most worried about," Trunks said. As he finished tying the cable, he floated away from Sailor Mercury, who was now dangling by her ankles from the ceiling of the training chamber. After having dinner at the Briefs' house, Trunks and Ami went outside to the training chamber and began several training exercises, designed to help Sailor Mercury control her energy even further. For the past two hours, the gravity in the room had been turned up to five times Earth's normal gravity, something that the other Sailor Senshi hadn't yet been subjected to, but that Sailor Mercury had been handling rather well, taking only a few minutes to get used to the gravitational force by channeling her magical energy, forming a glowing, light blue aura around her body. Trunks had had her do some of the exercises that he himself had done while training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during his days with the Z-Fighters. Now, he hoped that he could pass some of the things he had learned onto Sailor Mercury, making her strong enough to face any enemy that could potentially attack.

"Trunks, I'm alright so far," Sailor Mercury said, looking over at Trunks as he rummaged through a box of various training supplies, most of them weights of various sizes. 

"You've only been upside down for a minute," Trunks said, briefly looking over at her. Before she had been suspended upside down, Sailor Mercury had switched her blue skirt with the bottom half of an orange fighting suit, similar to the one that Goku wore. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about being upside-down in a skirt for a long period of time, a position that made her feel awkward, even around Trunks. He didn't mind, and had in fact helped her find the pair of orange pants, not wanting Ami to feel embarrassed at all by the exercise. He took a pair of 100-pound barbells out of the box and floated over to Sailor Mercury, flipping over in the air so that she could see him right-side up. 

"Those are 100 pounds each, aren't they?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"500 in here.... 5 times gravity, remember?" Trunks asked. "If you channel your magical energy, you should easily be able to hold them."  


Sailor Mercury nodded, and closed her eyes, quickly concentrating all of her energy. She nodded again, and Trunks handed her the barbells. Trunks was right; after she had channeled her energy, Sailor Mercury had no problem holding them, even though she was upside down. 

"Now, just curl up your body until your head touches your stomach," Trunks said, "while holding the barbells in each hand. It's just like a sit-up, only upside down. With the gravity pushing down on you, it's a really quick way to build up your upper body strength, as well as your leg strength, since you'll be upside down and your legs will have to support all of that weight. One day I did about 10,000 of these... after about 5,000 of them, it gets excruciatingly tough."

"I've never even done twenty sit-ups at one time in gym..." Sailor Mercury said quietly. "But I'll do my best."

Using her magical energy to augment her body's strength, Sailor Mercury easily did twenty repetitions without breaking a sweat, despite the fact that she was holding half a ton in her arms, and that her own body was being pulled toward the ground by a force of five times Earth's normal gravity.

"I'm going to raise the stakes a bit," Trunks said, floating outside and walking over to the room's controls. "Remember, try to keep up your energy as best you can..."

__

"I wonder what he's doing?" Sailor Mercury thought, continuing her upside-down situps as Trunks tweaked a few of the room's settings. Suddenly, Sailor Mercury could feel her body, as well as the barbells she was holding, become twice as heavy as before. She stopped in mid-repetition and dangled above the ground, nearly losing her concentration and dropping the barbells. She let her arms hang limp as Trunks floated into the room and turned himself upside-down to face her. "Trunks, did you-"

  
Trunks nodded.

  
"The gravity is now at ten times Earth's normal gravity, meaning that those barbells you're carrying now weigh a ton," Trunks said. "I know you can handle it, Ami, it's just a little bit of added strain on your body."  


"A _little _bit of strain?" Sailor Mercury said, a slightly angry look appearing on her face. "Trunks, it feels like I'm being pulled apart!"

"Ami, just concentrate and focus your energy-"

"I can't! I don't have enough energy to even move my arms an inch!" Sailor Mercury shouted, her voice becoming more and more desperate. "Please, just turn down the gravity...."

"Alright, Ami," Trunks said, turning himself back around and floating toward the door. "I'm sorry I tried to push you farther than you were ready..."

As Trunks floated toward the door of the training chamber, Sailor Mercury could feel a pang of regret slowly enter her body, and she could feel her strength slowly building up. With an immense amount of effort, she pulled the barbells up to her chest. By now, Trunks had turned around, and Sailor Mercury could feel even more energy enter her body. She began curling upward, pulling her head and the rest of her body up toward her stomach, with the heavy barbells in hand. Finally, she did one sit-up, and quickly let her body fall back to its normal position, dangling above the floor. As Trunks floated toward her, she did another sit-up, this one almost as quick as one of the sit-ups she had done in five times gravity. 

"Trunks, I'm... I'm doing it!" Sailor Mercury said excitedly, doing another repetition as Trunks turned himself upside-down to watch her. 

  
"That's three, Ami... ninety-seven more to go. Then we'll stop for the day."

  
Sailor Mercury nodded, and suddenly, her magical energy aura flared up, as strength began surging through every muscle in her body. She did ten repetitions, then twenty, then fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty... but around ninety, fatigue finally caught up to her. When she reached ninety-six, Trunks could begin to hear pain as well as strength in her voice, and instantly knew she had reached the limit of her powers. As she flopped back down for the ninety-sixth time, Trunks reached up to untie the knot securing the cable hanging her from the ceiling. But as he did, Sailor Mercury shook her head, not wanting to stop, even as sweat poured off of her forehead and dripped down to the floor.

"I'm going... to do... one hundred, Trunks," said Sailor Mercury, beginning to pull her body upward once again. 

"Ami, are you sure?" Trunks asked worriedly. "I don't want you to get hurt, Ami..."

"I'm going to do this, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said. After almost fifteen seconds of painstakingly slow movement, she slowly curled her body up to her stomach, completing her ninety-seventh repetition. As Trunks watched with great concern on his face, Sailor Mercury completed her ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth repetitions, taking nearly two minutes to complete his ninety-ninth repetition. Finally, even she began to doubt herself, dropping her body once more and letting her arms hang down, keeping the half-ton barbells firmly gripped in her hands. Again, Trunks reached up to get Sailor Mercury down, and again, she shook her head.

"Trunks, I... I just have one more to do...." Sailor Mercury groaned, barely able to speak. "I'm going to do this..."  
  
Sailor Mercury tried to lift herself back up, but as soon as she began, she had to stop, letting out a loud cry of anguish as her strength failed, and her arms began to dangle again.

  
"Trunks...." Sailor Mercury gasped, her body almost completely red, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. Trunks knew the gravity was putting an immense strain on her body, especially her heart, and he could hear it pounding at almost 200 beats per minute.

__

"She'll kill herself... I can't let her do this!" Trunks thought. He reached up and began to untie the knot again. Suddenly, with a loud scream, Sailor Mercury thrust her upper body forward, curling it and the barbells all the way up to her stomach. In that moment, Trunks saw the incredible determination in Sailor Mercury's eyes, the strength in every inch of her body, and the immense joy on her face as she completed her one hundredth repetition. Then, in an instant, she let herself flop backward, dropping the barbells onto the floor. They hit with a loud clang, falling into the large puddle of sweat that had formed as Sailor Mercury put all of her strength into the extremely difficult exercise. In a few second, Trunks had untied the knot holding up Sailor Mercury, and swept her up in his arms, floating down to the floor and walking out of the room as quickly as he could. As he left and closed the door behind him, the gravity in the room automatically went back to normal, and he looked down, getting his first look at Sailor Mercury. Her entire face was red, and she was still breathing heavily, but her eyes were open slightly, indicating that she was still conscious. Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, and kissed her on the lips.

"Ami, you did it...." Trunks said, brushing all the sweat away from her face. "I'm sorry I pushed you so hard, but-"

"The next time...." Sailor Mercury gasped, still trying to catch her breath. "I go into battle... I'm going to be so much stronger... I already feel stronger, Trunks..."

"You already are strong, Ami... you didn't have anything to prove to me..."

Trunks walked into the living room of the house and gently laid Sailor Mercury down on the couch, then kissed her on the lips again.

"I'll go get a pitcher of water, okay?" said Trunks, walking toward the kitchen. "You can have anything you want, Ami... you've earned it...."

"Thank you, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said, gripping Trunks' hand as tightly as she could. "I couldn't have done it without you..."

---

Aw, isn't that sweet? Trunks helped Ami train and stuff... it's nothing compared to what Goku did in the spaceship on the way to Namek, but it's a start! Right? Right? And by the way, yeah, I know Bulma said the time chamber couldn't be used unless she or Trunks was outside to work the controls, but that's only during a fight, not when it's just one person training with another as coach. I hope you guys don't have a problem with that... ^_^ Please review!


	8. Three Pronged Attack

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

NickeyWhite2: Glad you enjoyed this chapter... and thanks for reading it! I'm hoping to have a lot more cute Trunks/Ami moments in this story... probably not so much this chapter, but later on.

Zyppora: Yes, sometimes even I'm a bit jealous of Trunks, especially since I like Ami and all. And the room is supposed to automatically return to normal whenever the door is opened... I shoulda made that more clear though, you're right.

GracedAngel1854: With all these long chapters, it's sometimes taking me two whole days to get one done... that's a long time considering I usually try to finish in one sitting! Thanks for reading!

MWD: Actually, I'm NOT planning to make the Senshi that strong... or am I? Nah, probably not... I just want to get them a BIT stronger so they'll be in Nikashi and Pandemonium's league, heh...

---

It was nearly midnight when Ami, her body still a bit weary from her intense training in Trunks' world, walked into the living room of her apartment, as quietly as she could. She knew that her mother usually went to bed at eleven, and didn't want to wake her. However, as soon as she saw her mother, sitting wide awake on the couch, she knew that that wouldn't be a problem.

"Ami, thank goodness you're alright!" said Marika, standing up and walking over to Ami. "Your school called and told me that-"

"I didn't come to school today, I know," Ami said tiredly. "I can explain, mom..."

"This... has something to do with the Senshi, doesn't it?" asked Marika, sitting down on the couch. Ami took a seat next to her and nodded.

"Bulma was kidnapped from Trunks' world, and the people that had taken her wanted all of the Senshi to fight them," said Ami. "So... we had to go. They were keeping Trunks from leaving his home... the people that had Bulma wanted to lure us into a trap."

  
  
"Oh my gosh, Ami, is that what happened?" said Marika, slightly startled. She leaned over and stroked her hand across her daughter's cheek, which was slightly paler than its usual color, indicating Ami's worn-out condition. "Is that why... you look so tired and pale?"   
  
Ami shook her head.   
  
"After the battle, all of us went to Trunks' world and stayed for a little while... then I stayed a few hours later to train with Trunks... it was really intense, that's why I'm so tired... mom, I know I should have come home sooner, and I'm sorry not to tell you..." 

"It's... it's alright, Ami, I understand," said Marika, her head slightly bowed. She tried to conceal her sadness from Ami, but Ami could read her mother like a book, noticing the lines of worry all over her face. "You... you've stayed with Trunks before, I know how you feel about him, and... you probably do need to train, if these enemies are as strong as Trunks says they are..."

"Mom, no... I still feel bad about leaving you here," Ami said, turning away from Marika. "You could've been kidnapped, just like Bulma was! That's how Bulma was kidnapped the last time... it was while Trunks was staying the night over here, and-"

"That reminds me, Ami... is Bulma okay?" Marika asked. Ami nodded. 

"She was struck once across the face, but... except for a slight bruise, she's fine... and she's taking it really well, too. She even cracked a few jokes about the whole thing," Ami said.

"Then you shouldn't be so worried about me," Marika said. "Ami, you and the Senshi were able to rescue Bulma, and I know that if something happened to me, you'd save me too, Ami... it's you I'm worried about, you know that. Every time you go out to fight, I wonder if you'll ever come back..."

Ami leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek, then slowly stood up from the couch.

"Mom, you should remember... I'm strong too," said Ami, a smile appearing on her face. "I got that from you, mother."

Ami began to walk out of the room, but was stopped one last time by her mother's voice.

"Going to bed?" Marika asked.

"Yes... I told you, Trunks put me through some extremely intense training today... I need to go change and then get to sleep as soon as possible. I know it's not a school night, but... I'm still really tired. Night, mom..."

As Ami left the room, Marika couldn't help but smile, witnessing just one more step along Ami's journey toward becoming a strong, independent young woman. She had been willing to sacrifice her life to protect a dear friend... though the issue of missing school for Senshi missions would have to be dealt with somewhere down the road. Still, the importance of protecting the world and its people came first, and until the day that Ami, Trunks, and their friends could defeat the new evil and restore peace to the world, Marika would just have to write excuses for Ami until that day was realized. She was a doctor, after all.

__

"I just wonder what kind of training those two are getting involved in..."

---

"Thanks for the breakfast, mom," Trunks said, placing two plates and a glass cup in the kitchen sink. Bulma, who was still sitting at the table, finishing the last of her own meal, began to scold Trunks as he exited the room, seemingly in a big hurry.

"What's the rush?" Bulma asked, annoyed. "Son, you never want to talk to me anymore..."

"Yes I do, mom," Trunks said casually, turning around and glancing down at his mother. "It's just... I'm teaching Ami and the other girls to fly today, and-"

"Oh, I see what it is," said Bulma, her anger becoming more playful than real. "Well, maybe I'll just go and get myself kidnapped again. Maybe then you'll appreciate me!"

"You do that, mom," replied Trunks, turning back toward the door. "And next time, maybe you should have them tape your mouth, too."

"Hmph!"

Trunks walked out the door and took a few steps out to the front porch, transportation wand in hand. The plan was simple. While Bulma added the finishing touches to the second transformation wand, Trunks would teleport to Ami's world, pick up Ami, the other Senshi, plus the newly-empowered Rose, Angela, and Cammy, teleport back to this world, and teach them to fly. It wouldn't be that difficult of a plan, except for one hitch. Someone wasn't about to let Trunks leave.

"Well, I was a pretty good student when Gohan taught me to fly," said Trunks, briefly remembering his beloved friend. "Let's see if I can be a good teacher, too..."

But as Trunks prepared to press the button that would transport him to Ami's world, the unthinkable happened. A small, concentrated blast of ki barreled toward Trunks from out of nowhere. It hit the tip of the transportation wand, destroying it instantly and creating a nasty burn on Trunks' palm. As he cursed and angrily shook his hand back and forth, a loud, sharp laugh sounded from several hundred feet away. Trunks turned his head and gazed out into the distance. There, standing in the middle of the vast emptiness surrounding the Briefs' house, with a large field of magical energy pulsating around him, was the man whom Trunks had wanted to get his hands on for the last few days, the man who had engineered the kidnapping of his mother, and then taunted him nearly to tears... 

"You," Trunks said, gazing out at Pandemonium.

"It's judgment day," Pandemonium replied, shouting across the vast expanse. "We're all alone now, none of those Senshi to interfere... it's just you and me!"

---

Ami walked down the narrow path leading to Rei's shrine, where Trunks would presumably meet the Senshi to take them back to his world that day. She didn't yet know that Pandemonium had just destroyed his only way to get there, and as she met with Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina inside the shrine, she could only happily anticipate the day ahead.

"Hello!" Ami said cheerfully as she entered the room, wearing a blue flannel jacket over a white tanktop, with light blue denim jeans covering her legs. She knew she would be in her Sailor Mercury outfit for most of the day, but for right now, she wanted to look nice for Trunks when he arrived. The other girls were already seated in a circle in the middle of the room, and she quickly sat down and joined them.

  
  
"Rose, Cammy, and Angela are late..." said Serena, checking her watch. "We told them to be here at seven o'clock, sharp..." 

"It's alright," Rei said. "It's only a couple of minutes... and besides, seven is really early! They probably overslept."

"I'm a bit late too, you guys..." Ami said meekly.   


"Yeah, but you KNOW Trunks wouldn't leave without you," Mina remarked. "Training the rest of us is probably a burden to him anyway..."

"I wouldn't say that," Lita said. "I'm sure Trunks wants all of us to learn skills at the same rate... if Ami learned to fly, he'd want the rest of us to learn too."

  
  
"Besides, it would really be kind of silly having to carry to all!" Ami said, giggling. "I mean, I could probably do it if I used my energy, but-" 

Suddenly, a loud explosion from outside immediately caught the girls' attention. They all ran out at the same time to see Nikashi, Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate next to a large, smoking crater, just in front of the shrine. A few of Rei's cherry blossoms had been obliterated in the explosion, and Rei wasn't very happy about it.

"How DARE you come in here and disturb the sanctity of this sacred shrine!" Rei shouted angrily, her finger pointed directly at Nikashi. "You have committed a sin against the gods!"

"Oooh, I'm so scared..." Nikashi said mockingly. "Hmm, looks like we're missing a few... where are your friends, those stupid flower girls?"

"We'll go look for them, Mistress Nikashi..." Flarinsa said, with a bow. "You already said you could beat the Senshi by yourself..."

  
  
"Damn right I can!" Nikashi shouted. "Go, and destroy those three interfering wenches! I'll fight the Senshi alone..." 

The four warriors accompanying Nikashi ran from the shrine, their bodies becoming nothing more than blurs as they dashed down the streets with incredible speed.

  
  
"We need to warn them!" Serena shouted. "Rose and the others are in serious danger!" 

"You girls won't be warning anyone!" Nikashi yelled. "I'll destroy all of you first!"

"My grandpa's still asleep," Rei said, looking around. "I don't know how..."

  
  
"Quick, before anyone sees us... transform!" Serena ordered. The five girls quickly took out their henshin sticks and transformed into Sailor Senshi, to Nikashi's dismay. 

"Awww, and I thought this was gonna be easy..." Nikashi whined.

"Well, it won't be!" Sailor Moon shouted. "We're the Sailor Senshi, and we fight for love and justice! And in the name of the Moon... we'll punish you!"

__

"Trunks... where are you?" thought Sailor Mercury as the five Senshi prepared to face Nikashi alone.

---

"Rose, I can't believe you didn't reset the alarm clock!" Cammy shouted, frantically tearing off her pajamas and rummaging through her dresser for an outfit to wear. "Should we wear our magical girl clothes, or just some regular ones?"

"You know, now that I think about it," Angela said, slipping on a t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, "it's kinda hard for me to fight in that dress... it's pretty and all, but-"

"I know what you mean," said Rose, putting on a wide-brimmed pink hat, a red tanktop, and a pair of denim jeans. "Let's just wear our regular stuff today..."

  
  
"Maybe we should wear our school outfits!" said Cammy, pulling one of her red, white, and blue sailor fuku uniforms out of her dresser. "We'll be just like the Sailor Senshi!"   
  
"But we're _not _the Sailor Senshi," Rose said, taking the uniform from Cammy and putting in back in the dresser. "Put something else on." 

"I'll just wear this," Cammy said, removing her familiar green jumpsuit from her dresser and quickly slipping it on. "Casual _and _stylish!"

"I guess it's pretty easy for you to fight in that thing," said Rose. "And it'll probably be just as easy to fly..."

  
  
"Oh, I can't believe it!" Cammy squealed gleefully. "Today, we're actually going to learn how to fly! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!"   
  
"Cammy, take a chill pill... or better yet, two of them," said Angela, walking toward the door of her room and opening it up. "Besides, you shouldn't be so loud... our parents aren't home yet, and we don't want to wake them up."   
  
"Right, right..." Cammy said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Well... let's get going!"   
  
The three girls tiptoed out of the house and walked out the door. As soon as they got out to the front porch, however, they were confronted by four familiar foes. 

"Girls, it's lovely to see you this morning..." said Flarinsa, a broad smile on her face.

"Cammy, I must say you're looking absolutely ravishing this morning..." said Patrick, licking his lips. "And I can't wait to ravish you tonight!"

  
  
"Oh, eww!" Cammy shouted, a chill running down her spine. "Rose, Angela, did you just hear what he-"   
  
"We heard it," said Rose, her fists beginning to glow pink with magical energy. "What do you pricks want?" 

"They obviously want to get their butts kicked again," said Angela, her entire body taking on a warm, light blue glow. "I can't believe they found us..."

  
  
"Oh, it wasn't that hard," Elbarzad said, pointing at Patrick. "He led the way." 

"I must say, Cammy... even when you're sleeping, you look so incredibly beautiful..." Patrick said, causing Cammy to gasp. A horrified look appeared on her face.

__

"He watched me... while I was sleeping?" Cammy thought, her shivering now severe enough to become visible. _"What kind of a sick pervert would do something like that?"_

With a loud yell, Cammy rushed at Patrick, but was immediately stopped by Rose's outstretched arm, blocking her sister's path.

  
  
"We're not fighting here," said Rose, looking around at all of the houses lining the streets, and quickly realizing that someone could very easily get hurt unless the fight could be moved away from a residential area. "We'll go somewhere else." 

"I agree," said Flarinsa. Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate turned to her in shock. "Beating you fools won't be satisfying at all unless you're fighting at your best, and you're obviously too weak-minded to risk hurting any... innocent people, so.... we'll go somewhere where you won't be distracted. Any ideas?"

"How about the docks just outside Juuban?" Angela whispered to Rose and Cammy. "The workers don't arrive on their shifts until about noon... we'll have hours to fight there..."

"Alright then," said Rose, turning back to Flarinsa. "Follow us."

As the three girls dashed down the streets of Juuban toward the dock area, the four elemental warriors followed them. Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate reluctantly accepted the terms of the fight, still wondering why honor should play any role in their fight.

"Flarinsa, this is dumb," yelled Elbarzad. "Why don't we just blow up their neighborhood, and-"

"We'll do that once we've beaten them, and force them to watch their friends and family be destroyed!" Flarinsa shouted back. "I'm far too pissed off to let these girls die a slow, painless death..."

__

"And after that, I'll have Cammy all to myself..." Patrick thought.

---

"What are you waiting for, Trunks? Aren't you going to attack me?"

  
  
With a loud yell, Trunks flared up his ki, his energy aura quickly switching from a passive blue to a blazing yellow. His muscles flared up and his hair spiked, changing its color from purple to gold. Trunks had transformed into a first-level Super Saiyan, which he figured was more than enough to take Pandemonium down. Then, he attacked, flying at Pandemonium and throwing a powerful punch directly at his head. Pandemonium easily swooped out of the way, leaping back several feet to escape Trunks' powerful blow. Trunks countered with a series of punches and kicks, directed at all parts of Pandemonium's body. With seemingly unreal speed, Pandemonium dodged each and every blow, and then leapt away from Trunks again. __

"Damn, he's fast!" Trunks thought, looking up at Pandemonium from below. "You'll wear out eventually!"

  
  
"It's taking absolutely no energy for me to dodge, just a bit of magic... like those girly Sailor Senshi use," said Pandemonium. "I've fine-tuned my body to take full advantage of the incredible magical energy I possess, meaning that I barely have to move a finger to destroy an entire planet... or in this case, a headstrong half-breed Saiyan monkey." 

Pandemonium's remark instantly brought back memories of Frieza into Trunks' psyche, quickly filling him with rage.

"Don't you... EVER call me that!" Trunks shouted, his muscles flaring up yet again. "I'll tear you into pieces!"

  
  
But before Trunks could attack again, Pandemonium had disappeared. As Trunks began looking around, a bright flame appeared in front of Trunks. Then, another flame appeared behind him. Soon, Trunks was surrounded with a ring of fire, and it was spinning at an unbelievable speed. 

"What kind of attack IS this?" Trunks asked, puzzled. He pointed his arms at the ring and fired hundreds of energy blasts into it, but they simply disappeared as they hit the flames, as if they had been absorbed into it. Then, the flames vanished. In their place were twenty beings that looked exactly like Pandemonium.

"He's copied himself..." Trunks muttered. "That's the oldest trick in the book..."

Trunks pointed his arms at one of the Pandemonium copies and fired a ki blast at it. When the blast made contact with the copy, both it and the copy faded into thin air. Trunks tried again, attacking another copy with a second energy blast. Again, his attack was unsuccessful. Trunks fired another energy blast at a third copy. This time, as the blast struck the copy, it detonated with a large explosion, and Trunks could hear a loud cry of pain coming from the center of the blast. The other copies disappeared. In a rage, Trunks flew into the cloud and began pummeling Pandemonium, repeatedly striking his head, arms, legs, and chest with hundreds of powerful blows, followed by more loud cries of pain.

"What... did I tell you..." Trunks gasped, slightly panting for breath with a bit of sweat coming down his face. "Oldest trick... in the book..."

  
  
Suddenly, the seemingly battered and bruised Pandemonium crumbled into dust before Trunks' very eyes. As Trunks gasped in shock, the real Pandemonium dove upon Trunks and struck him with a powerful kick to the head, knocking him all the way down to the ground. Trunks slammed into the earth with tremendous force, generating a huge explosion that kicked up a large cloud of dust into the air. As the dust sifted past Pandemonium, the vicious warrior began to laugh, watching Trunks slowly pick himself up from the ground. 

"Oh, but you must know, Trunks... I don't go by the book," Pandemonium said.

"I just noticed," Trunks replied, his ki aura flaring back up to its normal level. He quickly flew up to meet Pandemonium in the air, as the dust from his impact drifted away into the wind. "Then I guess I'll have to throw the book out the window as well."

---

Nikashi's powerful whip lashed out at the five Senshi, its glowing strap becoming a blur as it swished past. Four of the Senshi were able to dodge, but one of them, Sailor Jupiter, stumbled out of the way a little too late. The whip smacked across her chest and then flew back toward Nikashi, tossing the unfortunate Senshi of lightning back toward her friends, into the arms of Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus. As the Senshi gasped and looked over to check on their friend, Sailor Jupiter's arm went across her chest, covering up a large gash that went all the way across her abdomen, just below her breasts. The cut was dripping a large amount of blood, and it was quickly apparent to Sailor Jupiter that the only thing that kept her from being sliced in half was her powerful magical energy aura, glowing about her entire body.

"Sailor Jupiter, are you alright?" Sailor Moon asked.

  
  
"I'll be.... just fine..." Sailor Jupiter groaned, staggering to her feet. "That was the last one you'll get!" 

Sailor Jupiter pointed her arms at Nikashi and fired several large blasts of lightning energy, all of them aimed straight at Nikashi's head. With one crack of her whip, Nikashi dissipated all of the energy blasts, the powerful strand of energy passing through every single one of Jupiter's deadly lightning spheres.

"Unbelievable..." Sailor Mercury stammered. Quickly remembering her VR Visor, she turned toward Nikashi and pressed the small button on the side, quickly scanning the deadly warrior for any weaknesses. She'd been too caught up in any of the previous battles to bother with her scanner, but now she was desperate for a way to stop Nikashi's attacks. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Venus were launching a retaliatory attack of their own.

"Take this!" Sailor Moon shouted, running up to Nikashi and pointing her henshin stick right in Nikashi's face. "Moon Blessed-"

Nikashi simply blasted Sailor Moon back with a glowing, red energy blast, knocking her flat on her back. Sailor Mars saw her chance, leaping up and kicking at Nikashi's head, her leg blazing with a powerful magical flame. The kick made a direct hit, striking Nikashi in the forehead and sending her tumbling back, right into one of Sailor Venus' new attacks.

"Crescent Rampage!" Sailor Venus yelled, pointing her arms at Nikashi and concentrating her energy into the form of dozens of deadly crescent beams. They slammed into Nikashi's back, creating a large explosion and knocking her to the ground, next to Sailor Moon.

"Alright!" Sailor Jupiter yelled, running over to Nikashi and pointing her arms at the downed warrior. "Jupiter Ultimate Storm!"

As Nikashi began to stand up, a loud clap of thunder could be heard in the sky, just above Nikashi's head. The clouds in the sky parted, and Sailor Moon, who was herself just getting up from Nikashi's earlier attack, was barely able to scramble out of the way as a group of lightning bolts crashed down from the sky onto Nikashi, creating a large, bright flash of light and another powerful explosion, tossing Nikashi up into the air and then back down onto the ground. 

"Alright!" Sailor Moon cheered, running over to Nikashi and pointing her henshin stick at her once more. She didn't see Nikashi's eyes, which were now wide-open with rage. Nikashi leapt to her feet, startling Sailor Moon and causing the other Senshi to leap back. Sailor Mercury watched from the front of the shrine, still scanning Nikashi for weaknesses while keeping a watchful eye toward the battle.

__

"Just about got it..." Sailor Mercury thought. _"Hang in there, girls..."_

Nikashi had been slightly damaged by the Senshi's attacks, but her power remained potent, and as her own magical energy aura began to flare up, the Senshi prepared for the worst. 

"Look out!" shouted Sailor Moon. 

  
  
Nikashi rose up into the air and pointed her arms outward, sending out a wave of energy that went in all directions, hitting Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus with a huge amount of magical energy. As Sailor Mercury finished her scan, the attack hit her as well, sending her to her knees. The powerful energy scorched the Senshi as it hit them, searing their skin and sending waves of pain coursing through their bodies. The powerful blast disintegrated all the trees in the area, its blast radius stopping just before it would have hit the shrine. The badly injured Senshi slowly rose to their feet, groaning as they became painfully aware of their wounds. Nikashi gave the Senshi little rest. She ran right at Sailor Moon and elbowed her in the stomach, sending the powerful leader of the Sailor Senshi to her knees once more. Then, she lifted up Sailor Moon by the collar of her senshi outfit and slowly lifted her up into the air. Sailor Moon's henshin stick was on the ground, hopelessly out of reach of the trembling Senshi. 

"What's the matter, Sailor Moon?" Nikashi spat. "Your pathetic little Senshi can't gang up on me anymore?"

"They'll destroy you, Nikashi..." Sailor Moon replied, her voice unwavering. "We'll all destroy you... the Sailor Senshi never lose..."

  
  
"That's right!" shouted Sailor Mercury, causing Nikashi to turn around and face the Senshi of Water. 

"And what are you going to do about it?" Nikashi asked. "Trunks is going to be so surprised when I hand him your dead body!"

"I don't think so," Sailor Mercury said, curling her fists. 

As the memories of yesterday's training session began flooding back, and Sailor Mercury concentrated her energy, her energy aura slowly began to grow. Her visor flashed all the information it had collected about Nikashi directly into her eyes, including Nikashi's power level, which Mercury hadn't yet ventured to look at. She ran at Nikashi and kicked at her head, an unusual attack for Sailor Mercury, but one that she thought would be effective. It wasn't. Nikashi easily moved her head out of the way, then blasted Sailor Mercury back with an energy blast, sending her flying back several feet.

"I have to remember what Trunks taught me..." Sailor Mercury whispered to herself. "I have... to focus!"

Sailor Mercury began to concentrate, and was able to steady herself, much to Nikashi's surprise. She rudely tossed Sailor Moon to the ground and ran at Sailor Mercury, but before she could reach her, a huge wall of ice seemed to rise up out of the ground, blocking her path. Nikashi stopped up in front of it and looked up as the wall of ice seemed to reach a hundred feet into the air.

"Pssh, that's pathetic," Nikashi said. "I could jump that in a heartbeat."

"That's what you think!" shouted Sailor Moon. While Sailor Mercury had her distracted, Sailor Moon had picked up her henshin stick and was pointing it directly at Nikashi. Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus were facing her as well, focused and poised to launch an attack. They all fired off their attacks at once, sending four deadly energy beams barreling toward Nikashi. They collided into her and sent her crashing through the ice wall, shattering it in an instant. Nikashi emerged on the other side, frozen into a block of ice that skidded across the ground, landing right at Sailor Mercury's feet. Sailor Mercury looked down at the frozen Nikashi, before finally taking the time to glance at Nikashi's power level. 

"Based on magical energy, it's.... it's two million," Sailor Mercury whispered. "That's twice as strong as Trunks said Sailor Moon was at her most powerful..."

  
  
"But it wasn't just me," said Sailor Moon. "We all defeated Nikashi together!" 

"Uh, Sailor Moon..." Sailor Mars said, pointing at the frozen block. "I don't think she's-"

  
  
"Quick! Use a Planet Power attack before she gets the chance to-"   
  
But before Sailor Moon could finish, the block rose up into the air and shattered into a thousand pieces, revealing a now very livid Nikashi, her arms across her chest.   
  
"You think you've seen my true power?" Nikashi shouted. "You think THIS is the Nikashi that went toe-to-toe with Super Saiyan Trunks? No.... THIS is!" 

Nikashi lifted her arms and gathered an enormous amount of magical energy, forming a large black sphere around herself. As the Senshi looked up in shock, they could hear a faint noise that sounded like air being pulled into a vacuum. It grew louder and louder, and then, for a split second, all was silent. After that, a gigantic sonic boom exploded forth from Nikashi, and a large red energy wave shot out from the sphere around her body, sending the Senshi crashing to their knees. When they looked up, Nikashi was surrounded in a large field of glowing red energy, which was pulsating all around her. Slowly, she floated down to face the Senshi, who stood up and immediately stepped back, all of them feeling the immense energy radiating from Nikashi's body. Sailor Mercury's VR visor had now produced a different reading, and as she glanced up at it, she gasped in shock.

"It's.... it's over fifty million," Sailor Mercury said grimly, pressing down on her earring and causing her visor to disappear. "Trunks at his maximum in his regular Super Saiyan form is only about thirty-six million, but... this is magical energy we're talking about here..."

"Oooh, little Miss Numbers and her fancy calculator seem to have figured me out completely," said Nikashi maliciously, walking toward Sailor Mercury. "Tell me this, Sailor Mercury... where is your precious Trunks now?"

---

Meanwhile, the docks outside of Juuban had been the scene of an ongoing battle between Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who were intensely fighting the four elemental warriors who had come to get revenge for their earlier embarrassment. Though crowded with crates, small boats, and heavy metal equipment, the docks were completely deserted, and their large, open expanse facing the Pacific Ocean made them the perfect spot for a magical free-for-all. The battle had been raging for some time now, with neither group making much ground, despite a few close calls.

"Cammy, look out!"

A large boulder flew at Cammy, who had to dive behind a stack of large crates to avoid being smashed. The boulder hit the crates and smashed them instead, leaving Cammy unharmed.

"We're taking her alive, remember?" Patrick shouted angrily to his comrade.

"Maybe you are, but I'm going to destroy these pathetic girls!" Grenate shouted, diving at Cammy. She pointed her arms at him and blasted him away with a cloud of pink energy that sent him skidding across the hard, cemented surface of the boatyard. 

"Way to go, Cammy!" shouted Angela. "Now if we can just-"  
  
Angela was interrupted by a large column of flames that zoomed toward her, engulfing her and crumpling her to the ground, her body and her t-shirt covered in burns.

"Crap," said Rose, who had already abandoned her pink hat early in the fight and was trying to keep her own clothes from being damaged. "Our old clothes might not have been good for flying, but at least they didn't get ripped to shreds..."

  
  
"I told you I had the right idea!" Cammy shouted back at her sister, while blocking Patrick's ice shards with a glowing green energy shield. "You hear that, perv? These clothes don't come off!" 

"No, but the gloves are about to!" Flarinsa shouted, gesturing toward Elbarzad and Grenate to begin a triple-team attack on Rose and Angela.

  
  
"They're more powerful when they attack as a unit!" Angela yelled. "Rose, look out!" 

"Already way ahead of you!" Rose shouted, pointing her arms at Elbarzad and Grenate and sending powerful, thorny vines in their direction. As the vines flew at Elbarzad, he pointed his arms at them and formed two large, swirling wind vortexes in front of his hands, sucking in the vines and drawing Rose closer and closer toward him. "Oh no, I'm trapped!"

__

"That's the same weakness Sailor Mercury exploited back when we fought her," Angela thought. "I'm coming, Rose-chan!"

Angela pointed her arms at the vines and fired a large burst of energy, hoping to break the vines and prevent her sister from being sucked in. However, at the last second, Grenate leapt in front of the energy burst and swirled a large cloud of dirt in front of it. The dirt surrounded the energy and swirled all around it, suffocating the energy's flow of heat and causing it to disappear. Then, Flarinsa leapt behind Angela and hit her with another blast of fire, knocking her flat onto her face. 

"Angie-chan!" Rose yelled, furiously struggling to get out of the grip of Elbarzad's powerful wind vortexes, which were still using her own vines to pull her towards him.

  
  
"That's it," Elbarzad said, a large smile on his face. "Come to papa..."   
  
"NOT TODAY!" Cammy shouted, leaping behind Elbarzad. "F5 Windstorm!" 

A huge tornado engulfed Elbarzad, sucking him up into the air and whirling him around and around, the wind whipping his body with incredible force.

  
  
"Fight fire with fire!" Cammy shouted. "Or wind with wind... or whatever."   
  
"Cammy, behind you!" Rose shouted. As soon as Cammy turned around, a large blast of ice slammed into her, tossing her backward and freezing her arms and legs to a large stack of metal crates. Patrick slowly walked toward her, smiling maliciously as she struggled against the ice. 

"Let... let me go!" Cammy screamed, horrified by Patrick as he slowly sauntered up to her. He reached up and roughly stroked her face, a smile curling his lips.

"You should get used to this, my dear..." Patrick said. "Because-"

Rose leapt up and swung one of her vines, smacking Patrick hard across the face. The thorns on the vines cut a large gash that went from just below his eye all the way down to his chin. He stumbled away from Cammy and began to wince in pain. Meanwhile, Angela ran up to Cammy and blasted the ice away, freeing her from its cold and deadly grip.

  
  
"Whew, thanks..." Cammy breathed, hugging her sister tightly as Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate regrouped for a second attack. 

"We're not out of the woods yet," Rose said, the thorny vines retracting back into her hands. "Get ready, girls..."

---

Trunks clenched his fists and curled his arms into his chest. Then, with a loud yell, he released his energy. His hair spiked up further, his muscles flared, and his energy aura exploded outward. Electricity coursed all around his body, sparkling, arcing, and crackling all around him. Pandemonium immediately recognized Trunks' incredible transformation.

  
  
"Finally, the Ascended Super Saiyan has come back to the multiverse...." Pandemonium remarked. "Incredible." 

"You forced me to do this, Pandemonium..." Trunks said coldly. "As time goes by, evil gets stronger... I never thought I'd have to go to level two again, but... I guess I was wrong."

"I guess you were," replied Pandemonium.

  
  
"You're not afraid," said Trunks. "Why are you not afraid?" 

Pandemonium smirked.

"Death... is no deterrent for me," Pandemonium said. "I have no doubt that I will complete my mission... you don't even understand why we're here, do you? You're our target, Trunks, and I know you've known that all along."

"Then why did you go after my mom?" Trunks shouted. "Why did you go after Ami and her friends?"

  
  
"We need to get rid of the Senshi to take over the Earth there.... after you're gone, of course," said Pandemonium. "We don't just take people, Trunks, we're a growing armada, we need land, resources, people... Earth is a beautiful, large planet, probably full of potentially powerful forces that can easily be assimilated into our system, just like you... however, you'll be assimilated in a much different way. Lord Exeter will see to that. In fact... we're attacking your pathetic Senshi friends right now."   
  
Trunks' eyes grew wide with horror.   
  
"Nikashi is tearing them to pieces... you do remember Nikashi, don't you? And since you don't have your fancy toy anymore, you won't be able to save them... what do you say to that, Trunks? Hmm? Hmm? What do you say to-" 

Trunks flew at Pandemonium and struck him in the side of the face with a powerful punch, knocking him backwards through the air and causing blood to trickle from his nose and mouth. Pandemonium steadied himself, then flew back at Trunks and replied with a similarly powerful punch, knocking Trunks' head to the side, but not budging the half-Saiyan an inch. As Trunks' head slowly moved back into place, he lifted up his hand and rubbed the spot on his cheek where Pandemonium's fist had made contact.

__

"Unbelievable..." Trunks thought, stunned. _"That punch hurt... a lot.... more than anything since I... since I fought Frieza! I'm feeling the same kind of power from this guy... is it possible? It's only magical energy, but it's so incredible, I... I can sense it!"_

"What's wrong, Trunks? Surprised?" Pandemonium asked. "Surprised that you, the mighty Ascended Super Saiyan, can be hurt so much by a being using magical energy? It is quite remarkable, when you think about it. But there are more like me, Trunks... much more like me. In fact-"

  
  
"Shut up!" Trunks shouted, quickly firing a small blast of ki at Pandemonium's chest. As quickly as Trunks had fired it, Pandemonium moved his hand in front of the blast and caught it in his hand. As he did, Trunks could see a field of magical energy, slithering in wisps around Pandemonium's hand as he squeezed inward, disintegrating the ball easily. 

"Poof," said Pandemonium. "It's almost like.... magic."

  
  
Trunks' fist flew at Pandemonium's face, but Pandemonium simply caught it and began to squeeze down. Trunks gritted his teeth in pain as Pandemonium's powerful grip began pressing against the bones in his fingers, putting them under incredible stress. 

"Bastard..." Trunks growled. "I won't.... I won't let you intimidate me!"

  
  
Trunks lifted his other hand again and fired another, larger blast at Pandemonium's face. This time, the blast hit, slamming into his head and detonating, creating a small explosion that gave Trunks time to leap above Pandemonium and kick him in the back, knocking him toward the ground with incredible speed. Pandemonium couldn't stop himself, slamming into the ground and creating a large, brilliant explosion that shook everything for miles around. As Trunks glanced down toward Pandemonium, he noticed something else... his house, including his mother, had been less than one hundred feet away. __

"No!" Trunks thought, horrified. _"How could I be so reckless? I got so caught up in the fight, that I almost... I almost... I can't let this guy take me out of my game! I have to fight back!"_

As Pandemonium rose to his feet, Trunks fired several large energy blasts downward at him, being careful to avoid getting any of the blasts near his house. The blasts came down on Pandemonium and littered the ground around him, creating another large, column-shaped explosion of energy. As Trunks flew down to inspect the damage, he noticed one of the blasts heading off in a different direction... straight toward his house.

"_The bastard must have knocked it off-course.... _NO!" Trunks shouted, flying at the beam as quickly as he could. As he raced toward the head of the beam, the beam in turn raced toward his house, drawing closer and closer by the second. Flaring up his energy, Trunks desperately built up his speed, flying in front of the beam just as it would have reached the front porch of the house. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled back his arm and smacked the blast as hard as he could, harmlessly up and out into space. Then, he collapsed onto one knee, gasping for breath. It had taken Trunks a great deal of energy to catch up to and deflect his own energy beam, and it would take him a few seconds to regain his composure and rise back up again. Now, Trunks was both furious and fearful. He had come just inches from destroying his own home, along with his mother, who was working diligently inside to create the only device that could possibly return him to Ami's world. As Trunks shook his head, trying to get back into focus, Pandemonium, whose body had sustained moderate damage from Trunks' blasts, was staggering toward the powerful Ascended Saiyan, still smiling viciously.

---

Inside the house, down in the basement, Bulma had heard the loud noises from outside as she continued to work on the teleportation wand. As she was attaching the last few screws to the bottom of the device, she stopped to listen to the continuing noise.

"What in the WORLD is going on up there?" Bulma asked herself. "Flying was never this noisy... those girls aren't fighting each other already, are they? I should probably go see what's going on...."

Taking the completed teleportation wand with her, Bulma slowly ventured up the stairs, unaware of the fight taking place above.

---

"This worked last time," Angela said, leaping up into the air as Flarinsa, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate prepared to strike again. "I hope this works as well as it did last time.... yaaaaaah!"

With a wave of Angela's hands, hundreds of flower petals came slashing down toward the four elemental warriors. Flarinsa pointed her arms up at the flower petals, shrieking a loud war cry.

"What's she doing?" Angela shouted, just before a huge burst of flame burst upward from Flarinsa's hands. Angela fell out of the flames' path, but the petals were engulfed by the huge blaze, all of them completely disintegrated.

  
  
"No!" Rose shouted in dismay.   
  
"And that attack was so cool last time..." Cammy whined. "There was blood everywhere!"   
  
Flarinsa landed just behind Cammy, blasting her in the back with a large wave of fire that sent her crashing into a large stack of crates. Before Angela and Rose could reply, they were blasted by a group attack of ice blocks and boulders, blown at them at incredible speeds by Elbarzad's powerful wind magic. They crossed their arms and hunkered down as the attacks buffeted them, covering their arms and chests in large bruises and knocking them all the way back to the edge of the dock. 

"What are we going to do?" Angela shouted, having to scream to be heard over the roaring wind.

"Duh, Angie-chan..." Rose yelled. "We fight back!"

  
  
Rose uncrossed her arms and was immediately smacked in the face by a large chunk of ice. She wasn't discouraged. She fired a huge blast of energy at all three of the attackers, immediately cutting off all the attacks and knocking all three of them flat on their backs. Then, Angela sent another stream of petals flying at the downed warriors. The petals cut across Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate's bodies, opening up large gashes that had only recently healed. As the three were slashed by the petal cloud, they all fell to the metallic floor of the dock, just as Flarinsa stepped out from behind one of the crates. When she saw what had been done to her subordinates, she gasped, and was immediately blasted back into and through the crates by Rose and Angela, both of them hitting her with a coordinated pink and blue energy blast. The two girls turned to one another and exchanged high-fives.   
  
"That was awesome!" Rose shouted. "Now, let's finish them-" 

Suddenly, the three downed warriors disappeared, as if they had been teleported away. Rose and Angela turned toward the crates, but they couldn't see Flarinsa, as their view was obscured by a large, metal crane. All they could see was a bright flame, and then nothing, signaling that Flarinsa had joined the other three elemental warriors in their escape.

"Dammit!" Rose cursed, spitting onto the ground. "Those cowards! We beat them!"

"Don't worry, Rosie-chan..." Angela said, patting Rose on the back.

"Ow!" Rose shouted, grimacing and rubbing her back where Angela had just touched it. "Not so hard... I think I'm sore there.... crap, that fight was a lot harder then I thought it'd be..."

  
  
"I'll say," said Angela, looking down at the tattered remains of her t-shirt. "But... we'll get those jerks next time." 

---

"This isn't over, Trunks," said Pandemonium, walking right up to the front porch of the Briefs' home. "Are you running back to mommy, Trunks?"

  
  
"Shut it," Trunks said. "We're not fighting anywhere near here!" 

"On the contrary," said Pandemonium, pointing his arm toward Trunks. "You should've gotten away when you had the chance."

Trunks stretched out his arms, extending them outward as far as he could. He wasn't about to let Pandemonium destroy his home, or cause any harm to Bulma, who had already been through more than enough because of Trunks... at least that's what he thought. But just before Pandemonium could attack, the door creaked open, plunging Trunks' heart all the way down to the pit of his stomach.

"Trunks?" Bulma said, opening the front door. Trunks turned around, desperately trying to warn his mother of the danger she was in.

"Mom, you have to get out of-"

  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Trunks saw the teleportation wand in his mother's hand. He didn't know if it worked yet, but he had to try... it was the only way to save his mother, and maybe the only way to save Ami as well.   
  
"Mom, the wand, is it-"   
  
"It works, Trunks, but I don't see-" 

Trunks snatched the wand from Bulma's hand and dove upon Pandemonium, holding the wand up in the air.

"Trunks!" Pandemonium shouted, struggling to push Trunks off of him. "Let me up right-"

"Ami, I'm coming!" Trunks shouted, pushing the button on the wand. A large, swirling vortex suddenly appeared, and Trunks flew up into it, taking Pandemonium and the wand with him. As the vortex closed, Bulma ran up to the edge of the porch and gazed at the spot where it had once been, her hand over her mouth, an expression of shock on her face.

"My God..." Bulma gasped, though she didn't fully realize what Trunks had just done, or why he had done it. "Please... come back safe, Trunks..."

---

Nikashi's fist flew toward Sailor Mercury's face, but at the last second, she formed a small shield of ice and leapt back. Nikashi easily punched through the ice, but by the time her fist was through it, Sailor Mercury had been able to escape the blow. As Nikashi began raining down more punches, Sailor Mercury formed more and more energy shields, each one successfully blocking one of Nikashi's blows. As Mercury stepped back toward the shrine, the Senshi watched and wondered how long her stubborn resistance could keep up.

"We can't let Sailor Mercury fight alone like this!" Sailor Moon shouted. "We've gotta help her! If one of those punches connects, she'll-"

Finally, one of Nikashi's punches did connect, breaking through the ice and smashing into Sailor Mercury's face with incredible force. Immediately, the Senshi fell to the ground with a loud scream of pain as the cartilage in her nose shattered under the force of Nikashi's blow. She hit the ground hard, knocked unconscious in one punch, as a large stream of blood poured from her nostrils.

  
  
"And she's down!" shouted Nikashi victoriously, pointing her arm at the downed Sailor Mercury and charging up a finishing energy blast. "Say goodnight!"   
  
"NO!" shouted all of the Senshi at once, running at Nikashi, their magical energy flaring up like it never had before. But as the Senshi drew close to Nikashi, she turned around and blasted them all with a wave of energy, knocking them all away. They hit the ground at the same time, barely able to stand, and too far away from Nikashi to stop her from blasting Sailor Mercury into oblivion. She pointed her arm at Sailor Mercury again, whose eyes slowly fluttered open just as Nikashi gathered up her energy for the attack that would inevitably spell her doom. Sailor Mercury gasped, too weak to scream, or to even look away. 

"No.... don't.... let it end like this..." Mercury whispered, looking up into Nikashi's eyes. "Trunks... I'm... I'm sorry..."

  
  
The vortex opened right above Nikashi's head, and Trunks came tumbling out, spinning around and kicking Nikashi in the side of the head. Nikashi hit the ground and skidded across all the way to the sidewalk, where she came to a stop, tossing up chunks of concrete as she stopped inches away from the street. As Trunks landed on his feet, just next to Sailor Mercury, Pandemonium flew up into the air and surveyed the shrine, and then looked over to Nikashi, who had been knocked unconscious by Trunks' powerful kick. Then, he looked back over to Trunks, who was not paying attention to Pandemonium, but was on his knees next to his fallen lover, gently lifting up her head to allow all the blood to drain from her shattered nose. He stroked his hand across her cheek and kissed her forehead, tightly clenching her head and whispering over and over again into her ear. 

"Ami.... I'm so sorry I let this happen..." Trunks whispered. "I love you, Ami... just try to relax... I'm going to heal you and your friends as soon as I can..."

Ami looked back up at Trunks, but didn't say a word, her tear-filled eyes telling Trunks the entire story. She didn't even have to exert herself by speaking to him, instead using her gift of telepathy with Trunks to return his kind message.

__

"I'm fine, Trunks... I did everything you taught me to... we all did, Trunks. We're all so strong... and I knew you'd come to help us, Trunks... I love you too, and I promise I'll be alright."

Pandemonium, meanwhile, had scooped up Nikashi into his arms, and was now floating in the air, making the decision to retreat rather than to attack Trunks further. There was time to finish off Trunks later. Right now, Nikashi's injuries had to be treated. That kick had done a lot of damage.

__

"Rest assured, we will finish this, Trunks..." Pandemonium thought. _"Sooner than you think, Trunks... much, much sooner than you think."_

Pandemonium teleported away with Nikashi, but by now, Trunks had forgotten about both of them. The weary Senshi had made their way over to Trunks and Sailor Mercury, gathering around to give the couple their support.

"Guess we're not gonna learn to fly today, huh?" Sailor Moon joked, causing Sailor Mars to reply with an angry glare. Trunks stood up, helping Sailor Mercury to her feet. He had taken off his jacket, and handed her his black tanktop, allowing her to press it up against her nose to stem the massive flow of blood. He powered down from Ascended Super Saiyan and picked up the teleportation wand from the ground.

"I'm going to take all of you back to my world to recover... you've had quite a rough fight," said Trunks, looking around at all of the injured Senshi.

  
  
"Wait," said Sailor Moon. "Our friends... Cammy, Rose, Angela... they're in danger too, and we don't know if they managed to defeat the fiends that attacked them."   
  
"Alright then... Ami and I will return to my world," said Trunks, turning to Sailor Mercury. "Unless... you want to stay?" 

Sailor Mercury nodded, Trunks' black, blood-stained outfit still pressed up against her nose.

"Don't worry about me, Trunks... I'm worried about our friends too," said Sailor Mercury. "Besides, having you here is all that I need for now... a Senzu Bean will fix up my nose in a few seconds, and I can get one of those any time."

"Alright then, Ami," Trunks said. "Let's go look for our friends."

---

Rose and Angela were still at the docks, celebrating their victory, but unaware that their youngest sister Cammy was nowhere to be found.

  
  
"Cammy, we kicked their butts, didn't we?" Rose asked, looking around. "Cammy? Cammy, where did you go?"   
  
"Crud, we lost Cammy!" Angela shouted, frantically searching around stacks of crates, boxes, and barrels, and looking around every piece of heavy equipment on the docks. "Cammy? Cammy!"   
  
No reply. As Rose and Angela scoured the docks for several minutes, there was still no sign of their sister, and quickly, jubilation over their victory quickly changed into frantic worry. Their sister had vanished without a trace. 

---

Back in an infirmary room aboard the space station, Patrick, Elbarzad, and Grenate were lamenting their second defeat in as many days at the hands of the powerful sisters.

"I can't believe we lost!" Elbarzad shouted. "We were so close... did you see how I had the oldest one caught in my wind vortex? Did you? Did you?"

"Yeah, I know... and we were beating two of them pretty bad toward the end... we just let it slip away," groaned Grenate.

"And I can't believe I let Cammy escape!" Patrick shouted. "I had her right where I wanted before her bitchy sisters ruined everything! If I could just get her alone..."

"Well, we'd better go report to the boss... I heard he just got back," said Elbarzad, getting up to leave the room. "I wonder if he managed to beat Trunks..."

"I bet he's the only one out of all of us that won today," said Grenate, trudging out of the room alongside Elbarzad. "He's so tough... hey Patrick, you coming?"

"No," Patrick snapped, his head in his hands. "Leave me alone."

"Whatever," Elbarzad said. After Elbarzad and Grenate left the room, Patrick flopped down on the large bed in the infirmary and pounded his fists against the pillow, in a display of rage.

  
  
"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" Patrick shouted. "I was THIS close to making Cammy mine! She was mine, dammit! MINE!" 

"I couldn't help but hearing your temper tantrum, Patrick," called Flarinsa's voice from outside the room.

"Go away," Patrick moaned. "You're just as big a failure as we are... you can't cheer me up, either. No one can."

  
  
"I wouldn't say that," Flarinsa replied, still outside the room. "If you'll stop acting like a jerk, I have a little present for you..."   
  
"What is it, a crybaby trophy or something?" Patrick shouted. "Ha ha, very funny, what a laugh! And at my expense, too!"   
  
Patrick rose up from the bed and began walking toward the door, in a rage. 

"If you're not gone in three seconds, I'll-"

It was then that Flarinsa stepped into the doorway, carrying a limp, unconscious form in her hands. The unconscious body was slightly covered in burns, but was still mostly flawless, if a little worse for wear. As soon as Patrick saw who Flarinsa was carrying, he stopped dead in his tracks. It was Cammy. She tossed Cammy over to Patrick, who caught her with ease, protectively cradling her in his arms.

"Have fun... but not too much fun," said Flarinsa, who then turned around and walked away, leaving Patrick standing alone in the hallway with Cammy's unconscious form in his arms. Slowly, he set her down on the ground, stroking her sweat-matted hair away from her eyes and forehead, and gently stroking his hand across her warm skin. 

"Oh... I will have fun, Flarinsa," said Patrick, a sick smile curving across his lips. "This day just got a whole lot better."

---

It's a victory for the good guys... or maybe just a half of a victory. Or an incomplete victory? Well, anyway, the doo-doo is about to hit the fan, and in a very big way! Can the heroes possibly figure out how to stop the bad guys in time? Or will it end up like Soviet Russia, where bad guys stop them? Eh, I dunno... please review, m'kay?


	9. The Rescue Mission Begins

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: Glad you enjoyed all the action! I can't guarantee that much this chapter, but I'm sure you'll still like it!

GracedAngel1854: Glad you were able to read it! And yep, Patrick has Cammy... I'm sure she'll get out soon! I hope, anyway!

---

After checking on Rei's grandpa (who had been asleep the whole time, even during all of the fighting), Trunks and the Sailor Senshi left the shrine and set out to find their friends Rose, Angela, and Cammy.

"Aren't we going to do anything about the shrine?" asked Sailor Mars, even as she and her fellow Senshi were running down the street. "It's fine on the inside, but the outside's been completely trashed, and-"

"No time for that now, Sailor Mars," Trunks said. "I'm sorry, but as soon as we find the others, we can start fixing it, alright?"

"Trunks is right... besides, what if the bad guys come back? The shrine would just get trashed again," Sailor Moon said. Sailor Mars gave a solemn nod, and the six heroes continued to search for their friends.

"We'd better go to their house first," Trunks said. "If anyone attacked, it would be there."

"Trunks," said Sailor Mercury, still holding Trunks' black shirt over her nose to stem its bleeding, "can't you search the city from the air? A lot of these people have seen us fighting... someone flying can't be all that new to them..."

"I'm not so sure about that," Trunks replied. "Let's just hurry to the girls' house right now... we're just about there!"

After a couple more minutes of running, Trunks and the Senshi finally arrived at the front of the house belonging to their friends. When they got there, they spotted Rose and Angela standing just outside the front door, talking with one another, both of them looking extremely worried. As they spotted Trunks and the others, they turned their heads for a second to acknowledge them before resuming their conversation.

"Something's not right here..." Trunks said quietly. "Where's Cammy? Did she-"

Fearing the worst, Trunks ran over to the two girls and tapped them both on the shoulder. The Sailor Senshi continued to follow Trunks, but all of them stayed back a few feet, except for Sailor Mercury, who stood right next to Trunks, leaning her head on his shoulder.__

"Trunks, something's the matter, isn't it?" Sailor Mercury thought. _"Cammy's not here... and I'm sensing that you think something happened to her..."_

"That's what I'm about to find out," Trunks thought back to her. "Rose, Angela... I'm glad to see you're both doing okay..."

Trunks noticing the slight wounds that the two girls had sustained from their battle. Both of them had changed clothes since the fight, and they hadn't yet told their parents about anything that happened, especially Cammy's disappearance.

"We're fine, but Cammy's not," Rose said, her eyes wide with worry. "She disappeared after the... the battle."

"We were attacked by those four freaks that the Senshi had to fight up in space!" Angela said. "We chased them off, but... we lost Cammy. I'm pretty sure they've got her held prisoner..."

"That's what I was afraid of," Trunks breathed.

"Cammy's been kidnapped?" Sailor Moon suddenly said, her loud, screeching words temporarily startling Rose and Angela.

"Yes, that's what I said," Angela replied in a much more quiet manner.

"That's horrible..." Sailor Jupiter said, her face becoming as worried as Rose and Angela's were. "Did you look for her at all?"

"We made those goons fight us at the docks, just outside town," said Rose. "After the fight, we searched that whole place for her... nothing."

"They probably teleported her back to their mean old spaceship when they left," said Angela.

"First mom, and now Cammy..." Trunks muttered. His rage building, he pointed his head toward the sky and yelled, "DAMMIT!"

As the birds that had been perched on the roof of the house flew away, startled by Trunks' angry outburst, the door of the house opened, and a middle-aged woman peeked her head outside.

"Did I hear one of you swearing?" asked the woman, Rose, Angela, and Cammy's mother. "And what happened to you girls? And.... why are the Sailor Senshi here?"

"First of all, yes, I swore," admitted Trunks. "But I had a good reason."

__

"Trunks, don't tell her..." said Ami telepathically. _"She probably doesn't even know her daughters' secret yet..."_

"She's about to find out. Don't you see Rose and Angela? They're covered in cuts and bruises..."

"Little ones, Trunks. They can be explained away easily... but still, maybe you're right, Trunks... she'll find out eventually."

"Mom, um.... we've um, got something to tell you," said Rose, pointing to the Sailor Senshi. "We were walking out to the park, when a big monster attacked us!"

Rose's mother gasped. Angela, seeing what her sister was trying to do, continued the story.

"We got hurt, and we were almost killed, when... the Sailor Senshi came and saved us! Trunks came along too," Angela said. "And then they offered to take us home."

"Are you two okay?" asked their mother, looking up to the Sailor Senshi. "And I can't thank you enough for saving my girls..."

"All in a day's work for the Sailor Senshi!" said Sailor Venus, flashing a peace sign.

"But if you girls are here, then... where's Cammy?" asked the woman, looking down at her two daughters again as she began to turn pale. "Did something happen to her? Please, please don't tell me she's hurt!"

Rose and Angela didn't know what to say. They looked back and forth, when Trunks suddenly chimed in with....

"Have you checked her room?" Trunks asked. "She's probably still asleep."

"Oh... oh yeah, she is, she is!" Rose said suddenly, looking over at Angela, who nodded her head.

"I didn't check on you girls this morning... it's getting pretty late, I should probably go up and wake her," said the woman, sighing with relief. "My goodness, it's almost time for breakfast, too... Rose, Angela, you should probably come in so I can clean up those cuts. Would any of you like to stay for breakfast?"

"Actually, mom, we've got a couple more things we need to take care of with the Sailor Senshi," said Rose, starting to walk back away from the porch. She knew that telling her mother that Cammy was still asleep would only buy her about a minute or so, and if she wanted to find out where Cammy really was, she and the others would have to leave as soon as possible, preferably back to Trunks' world. Only when Cammy was safe could the three girls reveal to their mother their true identities and powers. Until then, it would have to remain a secret to both of their parents.

"We'll be in in a few minutes, okay?" Angela said.

"What are they doing?" Sailor Moon whispered to the other Senshi. "Cammy's gone, isn't she?"

"I think I know what they're doing," Trunks said softly.

"Well, just be in as soon as possible," said the girls' mother, hugging Rose and then Angela as tightly as she could. "I was so worried about you... please try to be more careful next time. And thank you, Sailor Senshi!"

The woman ran back into the house, leaving the door open as she walked upstairs to check on Cammy, obviously in a hurry. As soon as she was out of sight, Rose and Angela turned back to Trunks and the Senshi, in as big a hurry as their mother was.

"We need to get out of here, and quick," Rose said. "Trunks, you've got your wand with you, right?"

"Yeah," Trunks said, taking it out of his pocket. "Better make sure there's no one around before we use it..."

Luckily enough, there was no one, as the street in front of the girls' house was usually empty on Saturday mornings, as people went out for breakfast and work. Trunks pressed the button on the wand, forming a large, swirling gate. The Senshi, Rose, and Angela walked into it, with Trunks entering soon after. As soon as he entered the gate, it snapped shut behind him, followed a few seconds later by a loud scream from Rose, Angela, and Cammy's bedroom.

"Honey, come quick!" shouted their mother. "Cammy's not here!"

---

She didn't know how right she was, for at that moment, Cammy was in more trouble than anyone, even her beloved sisters, could ever imagine. Patrick had taken her to a small, dark, cold room hidden deep within the space station, a room that provided running water to a small portion of the station's hundreds of rooms. Within the room were several pipes, and Cammy was tied to one of them, her arms held above her head with thin wires tightly wrapped around her wrists, binding them together as well as to the pipe, completely unable to move. She was sitting down, her legs secured to the floor by wires wrapped around her ankles, holding them to pipes attached to the floor, a few inches apart. As she came to, the first thing she noticed were the wires around her wrists, cutting into her skin with even the slightest movement. The next thing she noticed was the coldness of the room, a stark contrast to the burning sensation she'd experienced just before passing out, caused by one of Flarinsa's most powerful attacks, making a direct hit.

"Where... where am I?" Cammy groaned, looking around in all directions. Though the room was dark, a faint light in the room provided just enough light for Cammy to see everything around her. A faint stinging quickly reminded her of the battle she'd been fighting before she had faded into unconsciousness. "Flarinsa must've gotten the jump on me... no!"

As Cammy quickly regained her strength, she tried even harder to struggle against her bonds, but was stopped immediately by a searing pain in her wrists, and the feeling of a tiny stream of blood trickling down the side of her arm.

"That's not good!" Cammy shouted, her voice becoming more and more frantic by the second. "They've taken me back to their spaceship... I'm locked up here... I'm in serious trouble!"

The door of the room, a large, metallic, sliding door operated by a computer lock, opened up, and as soon as Cammy saw who was standing in the doorway, her worst fears became realized in an instant. It was Patrick, the one who had been stalking her, watching her, spying on her in her sleep... was now standing just a few feet away, and Cammy was completely helpless to stop him. As she looked up at him, her entire body trembled, and as he walked toward her, she began to scream."You psycho, get away from me!" Cammy shouted. "Don't come any closer, I'm warning you!"

Patrick slowly bent down and sat next to her, his hand quickly brushing across the side of her face. Sweat slowly began to make its way down her face, and as a single drop touched Patrick's hand, he smiled, lifting it to his face and licking it off with the tip of his tongue.

"You're sick..." Cammy whispered, her voice beginning to get choked up as her entire body filled with terror. "I swear, when I get out of this, I'm going to-"

"Ah, but that's the beauty of this whole thing, Cammy my dear... you can't get out of this," Patrick said, a smile on his face. "Not only are you tied quite tightly to those pipes right over there, but if you try to use your powers on them, the wires are especially designed to fry you. It would be horrible for both of us if you did that, so don't even try."

"Coward..." Cammy whispered, anger starting to come into her voice as she tried to get her courage up. _"If I can intimidate him enough, maybe I can stop him and get out of here!"_

"What did you say?" Patrick asked, leaning his face just inches away from hers.

"You heard me," Cammy whispered back. "If you had the guts, you'd release me and we could settle this with a one on one fight, just you and me..."

"Though I like to play rough," Patrick replied, another smile forming on his face, "I must decline your pathetic little offer. You had your chance to fight me, and you lost, and now you must face the consequences for losing."

Patrick's hand across stroked across Cammy's face, slowly tracing its way along her skin, down to her neck and toward the zipper in the front of her jumpsuit. As Cammy saw where Patrick's hand was going, she knew exactly what he was going to try to do, and her fear began to grow once again. Just as Patrick's fingers gripped the end of the zipper, she started to scream.

"ROSEMARY, ANGELICA, ANYONE.... HELP ME!!!" Cammy screamed desperately, tears starting to come to her eyes. "Please, anyone... HELP! HEL-"

That was all Patrick could take. His hand reached up to her mouth and swept across it once, forming an icy seal that muffled Cammy's cries in an instant. He reached down to her zipper again, but as his hand approached her body, it was suddenly surrounded in a powerful green glow, zapping Patrick's hand and causing him to instinctively yank it back. The green glow quickly melted the ice around Cammy's lips, allowing her to speak once more. Her lips curved into a smile as she saw Patrick furiously shaking his hand back and forth, his fingers coursing with pain.

"You were asking for it, buddy," Cammy said happily. "You got what you deserved. Now, to break out of this..."

As Cammy's energy glow intensified, she looked up toward the wires wrapped around her wrists. As she did, she quickly focused her energy and directed it toward the wires, hoping to fry them with an energy laser. She fired the laser at the wires, but as soon as the laser made contact, her body received an incredible shock. With a loud scream, Cammy slumped back down, her head drooping toward the ground. Her magical energy aura was now completely gone. Patrick smiled and walked over to Cammy, lifting up her chin with the palm of his hand. Her eyes were now tired and weary, with a thin stream of tears slowly trickling out of each of them. Without warning, Patrick pulled back his hand and slapped her hard across the side of the face, causing Cammy to cry out a slightly weaker yelp of pain. Her head drooped again, and she gritted her teeth, trying to shake the tears away from her face.

__

"No, Cammy... you can't cry... you can't show any weakness!" Cammy thought, trying to will her tears away. _"What would your sisters think... c'mon, Cammy, be strong! You're tougher than this pervert!"_

"Now, we'll never try that little trick ever again, will we?" Patrick said, stroking his hand across Cammy's cheek, now bruised from his hard slap. "C'mon now, it's not going to get any better, so you might as well stop crying now."

Cammy didn't even speak to Patrick. Instead, she turned her head and bit into his finger as hard as she could. With a loud cry, Patrick pulled back his hand yet again, shaking it furiously as his finger began to bleed. Cammy smiled again, if only for a few seconds, having won another small victory over her cruel captor. Again, Patrick walked toward her, and again, he lifted up her head with his palm.

"You think that's REAL funny, don't you?" Patrick shouted.

"It's hilarious," Cammy replied, as coldly as she could, still trying as best she could not to show any signs of weakness to Patrick.

"It won't happen again, either," Patrick said, reaching up and ripping off a sticky bandage from his forehead, which had been covering up a nasty wound that was now beginning to drip blood. He reached over and pressed the bandage over Cammy's lips, which stuck surprisingly well despite still having flecks of Patrick's blood caked to it.

__

"That's disgusting..." Cammy thought, still glaring up at Patrick. _"I've got to get out of here, before he... before he..."_

"Now, where were we?" Patrick asked. "Ah, yes."

For the third time, Patrick reached down toward Cammy's neck and the zipper at the top of her jumpsuit. This time, Cammy could offer no resistance, and Patrick slowly began to pull the tip of the zipper downward, unzipping the first few inches of Cammy's jumpsuit as the green-haired girl squinted her eyes closed, her mind desperately racing to try and find a way, _any _way to escape from this horrible situation. Just as the zipper reached the top of her chest, the door to the room opened once more, and Cammy snapped her eyes open and looked up, desperately hoping it would be one of her sisters coming to the rescue, though she knew it was probably another one of her evil captors. Sure enough, it was Pandemonium.

"What _are _you doing?" asked Pandemonium in a puzzled voice. He had seen both Patrick and Cammy as soon as he had entered the room, and was quite annoyed that his subordinate was taking an unwelcome break from his duties. Patrick gasped, quickly zipping up the top of Cammy's jumpsuit and turning around to face Pandemonium.

"Sir, I was just... we were just... you know what I'm doing!" Patrick said, standing at attention. Pandemonium took another look behind Patrick, his skeptical eyes meeting Cammy's terrified ones.

"I told you that this would have to wait until the mission was completed," Pandemonium said. "Do you even know what that mission is anymore? I don't think you do."

"Sir, we're supposed to get Trunks, I know that, but-"

"The Senshi and those girls will come looking for their friend... Trunks will come as well," Pandemonium said. "Your reckless and perverted actions have jeopardized the entire mission!"

"Sir, they'll never find us, you know that-"

"Maybe they won't find you or the girl, but they WILL find this gigantic space station," Pandemonium replied. "You need to go and prepare with the others for their arrival."

"But sir, I-"

"NOW," said Pandemonium sternly. "I won't touch your little Barbie doll... she'll be nice and safe here until you get back. I might even feed her."

Pandemonium gazed over at Cammy again, who simply responded with a low growl.

"I'll be back, my sweet," said Patrick, leaning down and kissing Cammy on the forehead as she tried to turn away. Then, he left the room, with Pandemonium following close behind him. Pandemonium took one last look at Cammy, shook his head, and then closed the door, leaving the still-trembling Cammy alone in the darkness.

---

As soon as Trunks, the Senshi, Rose, and Angela entered the Briefs' house, Bulma was ready to see all of them, especially Trunks, who she hadn't seen since he had disappeared into the gate with Pandemonium. She hugged him tightly and then began to inspect the scrapes and bruises on his face, caused by his recent battle.

"Trunks, I was so worried...." Bulma said, her hands rapidly tracing across his face.

"Mom, it's not me you should be worried about.... Ami's got a broken nose, Lita's been cut up really badly, and-"

"And Cammy's been kidnapped!" Angela said, a scared look on her face.

"Oh dear..." Bulma replied, looking down toward the ground.

"Mom, we've got Senzu Beans, right? You grew some a week ago, and we should still have them... I really hope we do..."

"I'll go check downstairs, I think we've got plenty," Bulma said, looking around at the battle-weary Senshi. "You all just sit down in the kitchen until I find them... I promise I'll have you all feeling better soon."

As Bulma ran down to the basement, the Senshi entered the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table. Trunks came soon afterward, but Rose and Angela remained in the living room. They were sitting on one of the couches and quietly talking amongst themselves. Angela looked as if she was about to cry.

"They're both really worried about their sister," Sailor Mercury said, looking over at the two girls. "We've got to get Cammy back..."

"I know, Ami..." Trunks said. "We'll get her back... I know we'll get her back."

"But how?" Sailor Venus asked. "They're up in space, we're down here... Cammy's thousands of miles in the air!"

"Trunks, your mom's a brilliant inventor, right?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "She can build a spaceship, can't she? Anything that'll get us out into space would work..."

"But do we have that kind of time?" Sailor Mars said, running her hand through her hair. "I know Cammy doesn't..."

---

After a few minutes, Bulma came into the kitchen, carrying a small burlap pouch in her hand. She removed the string from the top of the pouch, dumping its contents in the center of the table. Several Senzu Beans poured out of the pouch, and each of the Senshi, as well as Trunks, took one from the center of the table and ate it. As they did, their wounds and bruises disappeared, healing each and every one of them as good as new.

"Wow, that was incredible..." Sailor Jupiter said, looking down at the spot on her chest where the large gash had been. Though her Senshi fuku was still ripped, her wound was entirely healed, like it had never appeared in the first place.

"Senzu Beans can heal someone pretty much completely," Trunks said. "Thank goodness we were able to grow them even after Korin's Tower was destroyed... mom managed to collect some of the soil, and we've been growing them ever since."

"My nose is healed completely," Sailor Mercury said, poking it lightly with her finger to confirm its condition. "Rose, Angela, don't you want to come in and get Senzu Beans? We've still got a few of them left..."

"Not now," Rose said, cradling her arm around her sister Angela, who was now crying on her shoulder. "Besides, neither of us were hurt badly in the fight..."

"Are you girls okay?" Bulma asked, walking into the room and gently placing her hand on Angela's back. "Your sister will be fine... I know she will. She's strong, you have to remember that, and-"

Angela looked up at Bulma, blinking tears out of her eyes as she did. She sniffled, and then began to speak.

"But... but you don't know... what one of those guys did to Cammy," Angela said. "That guy had a perverted obsession with her, and now... now she's been captured, and I think she's with that guy right now as we speak..."

"I see," Bulma replied, her tone suddenly becoming more worried.

"That's why we've gotta find Cammy as soon as possible," Sailor Moon said. "In fact, Trunks thinks you can build some kind of spaceship..."

"Actually, Rei suggested that," Trunks said, looking over at Sailor Mars. "Mom, I know you're good with mechanical stuff, but can you really build a spaceship in a short amount of time?"

"Well... maybe I won't have to," Bulma said. "You see, I still have a few old capsules left from Capsule Corp., and-"

"Wait, you might still have a spaceship left?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Why didn't you use it to escape Earth when the androids were-"

"I have a spaceship capsule, but it's badly damaged," Bulma said, walking toward the basement door. "I could pull it out of mothballs, but... I'd need to repair it, and that could take some time."

"Not if I help," said Trunks, walking over to Bulma and putting his hand on the basement's doorknob. Sailor Mercury followed Trunks out of the kitchen, striding over to the basement door and putting her hand over his on the doorknob.

"I should probably try to help too," Ami replied. "Bulma and I work really well together..."

"Alright, Ami," said Trunks, gently clutching Ami's hand and smiling at her. "It'll be nice having your help."

"What about us?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Hey, let's go train in that training thingy Trunks showed us!" Sailor Venus said, pointing toward the front door. "We'll go outside and-"

"Does any of you know how to run it?" Bulma asked. The Senshi all looked at one another and shook their heads, knowing that the only ones who could run the machine were Bulma, Trunks, and Ami. Suddenly, Angela stood up. She wiped the last of the tears from her face.

"I could... I could try," Angela said, as confidently as she could. "If we're going to rescue Cammy, we've got to be as strong as we can be... and using the training chamber is the only way we'll be able to do that."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Bulma asked. "I could teach you what a few of the buttons do..."

"You should be repairing the spaceship," Angela replied. "With every second, Cammy's life is in even more danger..."  
  
"Angela's right," Sailor Moon said. "Let her run the training chamber. What's the worse that could happen?"

---

A little while later, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, along with Rose, stood inside the training chamber as Angela stood outside, looking at the large control panel that could be used to program all sorts of different conditions into the machine.

"I wonder which one turns on the gravity?" Angela said, looking down at the various buttons, knobs, and levers. Finally, she found one that was clearly marked 'Gravity Control'. She turned the knob to two, creating a force of gravity twice that of Earth's inside the chamber. "There we go!"

"That's good!" said Sailor Jupiter, flexing her muscles. "But maybe we should kick it up a notch. How about going a little bit higher?"

"I know," Sailor Mars said. "After all that training we've already done, I can hardly feel this!"

"Kick it up a notch..." Angela said, pressing a few buttons on the console. "How's this?"

As Angela pressed the buttons, she intended to turn up the gravity to five. Instead, she adjusted it to fifteen. As the five girls inside the chamber fell face down onto the floor, Angela stood up and glared at them.

"It's only up to five, I can't believe you guys!" Angela shouted. "Trunks told me that Sailor Mercury trained at ten, and you guys aren't even moving at five?"

"It's not five!" Sailor Moon shouted as loud as she could, her voice greatly strained by the intense gravity. "Check the console! Check it now!"

Angela looked down at the console, and finally realized her mistake.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" Angela shouted, pressing a few more buttons to reduce the gravity back down to five. "Is that better?"

"A little bit," Sailor Mars said, slowly getting up off of the ground. "Five's still a lot, though..."

"Not really, if you focus your energy," Sailor Jupiter said. "I bet we could even get to fifteen if we train hard enough!"

"For now, five's tough enough for me," said Sailor Venus, stretching out her arms. "Even at five, I can barely stand... I don't know HOW Ami could have possibly taken a force of ten..."

"Well, we'd better start training so we can all become that strong," Sailor Moon said. She looked outside to Angela, who remained busy at the controls. "We'll take turns training and working the console, alright? You'll still have to tell me how most of those buttons work..."

"Alright then, I'll come in in about thirty minutes, okay?" Angela said, giving Sailor Moon a thumbs-up. "Now let's see if we can't generate some training dummies with this thing..."

---

Meanwhile, down in the Briefs' basement, Bulma, Trunks, and Ami were inspecting the large, spherical spaceship that had emerged from the capsule Bulma had just tossed to the ground. Sure enough, Bulma was right about the ship's condition. Its sides were marked with large cracks, and one of its windows was nearly shattered. The inside of the ship didn't look much better. The console was damaged, and the floor had been smashed by a large chunk of the top of the ship that had collapsed in on top of it.

"We've got a lot of work to do..." Ami said as she inspected the inside of the ship.

"Remember, we're not going across the galaxy, we're only going into space a few hundred miles," said Trunks. "We don't have to get it absolutely perfect..."

"But we've still got to be able to get it out into space," Bulma replied. "You don't want to go into space inside a ship with shattered windows and a huge hole on the top, do you? I didn't think so."

"Well then, let's get to work..." Ami said. "The ship takes up nearly the entire room, so it'll be really tough to move around... I suggest we put all of our tools into one place. Trunks, you're the only one that can fly, so you'll have to do all of the repairs on the top of the ship. Your mother and I will start working on these cracks, and see what we can do to repair the busted window. Is that okay, Mrs. Briefs?"

"It's fine, dear," Bulma said, beginning to gather up the various tools from around the room. "I just hope we get this job done before something terrible happens to Cammy..."

---

As Trunks, Ami, and Bulma labored to repair Bulma's capsule ship, the other girls trained in the training chamber, taking turns as promised. The girls trained diligently, not even stopping for lunch, or even a snack. After a few hours of training, all six girls were tired, but none of them were ready to stop. They knew the task at hand, and knew that they would all have to be at their best if they wanted to have any hope of rescuing Cammy.

"Alright, let's begin the next part of the training!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, using the radio on the outside of the training chamber to broadcast her voice on the inside. The gravity had been turned up to a factor of ten, something that all six girls had slowly but surely become adjusted to. Their energy auras were flaring with more intensity than they had even been before, even though all of the girls were greatly fatigued by their day of training. "This is a combat drill... all of you know what to do, right? It's a free-for-all, with the damage limiter on, so don't worry about hurting one another with your attacks. It's time to go all out!"

The girls nodded and formed a circle in the center of the room. On Sailor Jupiter's signal, they began to fight.

"Venus Love Chain Barrage!" Sailor Venus shouted, extending her arms and firing several long, glowing energy chains out of her hands. The chains rushed toward Angela, who simply raised her hand toward the attack and blasted all of the chains out of the sky with several blue energy blasts. Sailor Venus was undaunted, running at Angela and leaping over her, then spinning around and launching a powerful kick at her head. The kick connected, knocking Angela backward and right into the path of a large fireball fired straight at her by Sailor Mars.

"Damn!" Angela said, swatting the attack away with her hand as quickly as she could. Sailor Mars extended her hands and caught her own fireball, dissipating it as quickly as she had formed it. As the three Senshi continued their melee, Sailor Moon and Rose were locked in a fierce battle, as Sailor Moon used her henshin stick to deflect the deadly thorn-covered vines that Rose was trying to ensnare her with. She tried to block one with her wrist, but it simply wrapped around her arm and flung her toward the back of the training chamber, screaming loudly. As Sailor Moon approached the wall, she flipped her body so that her head was facing Rose and her legs were facing the wall. As soon as her legs hit, she leapt forth from the wall, firing a powerful beam of energy straight at her pink-haired opponent. Rose didn't have time to dodge, and the beam hit her directly in the face, knocking her flat on her back. As Sailor Moon regained her balance and ran straight at Rose, who was straining to get up, she was hit squarely in the face by Sailor Mars' fist and sent crashing to the ground herself.

"That's for all those times you stole Darien from me, meat-ball head!" Sailor Mars shouted, with a smile on her face. Sailor Moon slammed into the ground with intense force and skidded back several inches.

"He would... never have gone for you anyway," Sailor Moon said as she struggled to her feet, a smile on her face indicating that she knew her friend wasn't serious. "And you know why?"

"Why's that, Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mars asked.

"Because you can't dodge THIS!" Sailor Moon shouted, pointing both of her arms at Sailor Mars' chest and firing several spheres of golden energy. The energy slammed into Sailor Mars and exploded, sending the Senshi of Fire flying straight back, towards the door. Just before she would have impacted, the door suddenly opened, and a stunned Bulma appeared in the doorway. She caught Sailor Mars around the waist, and both of them took a tumble to the ground, much to the surprise of a stunned Trunks and Ami, who stumbled back to give both Bulma and Sailor Mars room to stand up. The gravity in the room returned to normal immediately when the door opened, and the exhausted girls felt light as a feather as they walked out of the room to join Bulma and the others.

"Sorry about that, Mrs. Briefs..." Sailor Mars said in embarrassment, wiping her hand across her brow. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just glad you don't eat as much as your friend does," said Bulma, gesturing toward Sailor Moon, who replied by sticking out her tongue. "And I'm also glad I was there to catch you."

"Looks like you guys were training pretty intensely in there," said Trunks, pointing toward the training chamber. "I just hope you won't be exhausted when we go to kick some bad guy ass in a few minutes."

"We'll just have to catch some quick catnaps on the way to the space station," said Rose. "Speaking of space... do you guys have the spaceship done?

"Please say you have it done... it's been almost nine hours now, and Cammy's really, really probably hurt right now, and-" Angela said before Trunks held up a transportation wand.

"It's in the other dimension, on the rooftop of the warehouse," Trunks said. "We completed it about a half hour ago, and went out into space to check and see if they were in this dimension."

"We couldn't find them, so we sent the spaceship into the other dimension a few minutes ago and came back here," said Ami, who had detransformed while working on the spaceship so her Senshi outfit wouldn't get dirty. Instead, she was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of Bulma's overalls, both of them stained with grease from the spaceship. "We'll be able to leave as soon as you're ready."

"We are ready," Sailor Moon said. "Let's go get Cammy back!"

Trunks pressed a button on the transformation wand, forming a large dimensional gate just in front of his body.

"While you're off rescuing Cammy, I'm going to try and build another transformation wand, to replace the one Pandemonium destroyed," Bulma said. "You need to go kill him so I won't have to make anymore. Good luck, you guys... and be careful... especially you, Trunks."

"I love you, mom," Trunks said, leaning in and kissing Bulma on the cheek. The girls and Trunks said their final goodbyes, and then leapt into the gate. Soon, they would be out in space, rescuing Cammy from the clutches of the demented villains holding her captive... and hopefully, destroying those villains once and for all.

---

Cammy had been sitting in the room for the past nine hours now. Her arms had grown sore, not only from the thin wire binding them, but from the fact that she had been holding them in the air for quite some time now, to the point where they'd become nearly numb. Thankfully, no one, including Patrick, had come in to harm Cammy during that time. She had had plenty of time to try and figure out some way to escape, but though she'd formulated many devious plans during her days working for Crysthea, she hadn't yet been able to come up with a way to escape her current captivity, and her mind had begun to sink into despair.

__

"My sisters... they'll come for me... I know it..." was the thought that Cammy had kept playing through her head, over and over again, trying to maintain some semblance of hope, anything that would keep her mind from slipping away. _"I have to remain strong until they do... I have to-"_

Suddenly, Cammy's thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open and closing again. There, walking toward her once more with that same, sick look on his face, was Patrick. A smile was on his face from ear-to-ear, and as he leaned down to stroke Cammy's face once more, every thought in her mind disappeared, replaced with unimaginable terror. She shuddered as his course skin traced across hers, and began breathing heavily, her every whimper softened by the piece of tape across her lips. As Patrick's hand reached her mouth, he slowly ripped off the bandage, quickly followed by a sharp intake of breath as Cammy once again was able to breathe through her mouth.

"I miss hearing the lovely sound of your voice, Cammy... tell me, are you ready to submit to me yet?" Patrick asked.

"Do I even have a choice?" Cammy said, quietly, with as much conviction as she could muster, though her voice was still trembling. "If Pandemonium catches you here shirking your duties, he'll kill you."

"And why does that even matter to you?" Patrick asked. Cammy took in another breath, and then replied with the first thing that came to her mind, a thought that even she didn't think she was capable of.

"Because somehow, I believe you're better than this," came the reply from Cammy's lips. Was that really her talking, or just delirium from the horrible ordeal she'd had to endure? Whatever it was, it seemed to make Patrick stop in his tracks, as he began to ponder what she had said.

"You really think that?" Patrick said, his smile returning. "Oh, you're quite mistaken, my dear... I'm much, much worse. We haven't even started yet."

Patrick reached down to Cammy's chest and slowly moved his hand toward her body, the sleek outline of her jumpsuit providing the only protection she had from his groping hand. The rising and falling of her torso with every one of her breaths seemed to beckon Patrick's hand closer, and she knew that she had to say something else to stop what was inevitably to come next.

"You... you never had the chance... to live for yourself... have you?" Cammy said. Patrick looked up into her eyes.

"Of course I have," replied Patrick. "I've living for myself right now."

"No," Cammy breathed, "you're not. All your life, you've been forced into this evil, forced by people stronger than you, by things out of your control... I know that feeling, Patrick, I can understand-"

"You're starting to get really annoying," said Patrick, reaching up and pressing the sticky bandage over Cammy's lips once again. "Now I know why I put that on you. You know what? Maybe I just need to make you shut up for good."

Patrick raised his hand, and a blade made of solid ice quickly emerged from it. As Cammy's eyes darted toward the blade, her breaths became more and more heavy, and as he raised the blade toward her neck, she started to cry again, tears streaming heavily down her face. He smiled, and then raised the blade up to her cheek, cutting a large streak across it. Cammy let out a muffled squeal, and Patrick, now satisfied, lowered his hand, causing the blade to disappear.

"Now do you know what can happen to people who don't do what I say?" Patrick said, his voice becoming louder and louder. "They get hurt, that's what! You're under my control now, do you hear me? You're-"

The door opened again. Patrick gasped and turned around, while Cammy let her head slump toward the floor again, unable to stop the blood pouring from her cheek, dripping down from her chin and staining her green jumpsuit. The person entering the room wasn't Pandemonium, however, as Patrick had feared. It was Flarinsa, coming to warn Patrick of Pandemonium's presence.

"He's been looking all over for you, Patrick. If he catches you in here, you know what's gonna happen to you, and I'd hate to lose my best sparring partner because he couldn't keep his pants on," said Flarinsa, looking over at Cammy. "Have you... you haven't... have you?"

"Not yet," said Patrick. "I'm planning to string her along a little while longer... the more she endures, the more fun it is."

"You're sick, you know that?" Flarinsa said. "We'd better hurry.... if Pandemonium finds you before we find him..."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Patrick said, sighing and turning toward Cammy. "It seems we've been interrupted again... but I'm not too worried. You're not going anywhere."

Flarinsa and Patrick left the room, once again leaving Cammy alone. Before Patrick closed the door, he looked back at Cammy one last time, who was now sobbing violently, not even bothering to look at her captor. One thing she had said stuck in his mind, and, for just a split-second, he felt a slight twinge of remorse for the horrible things he'd done to Cammy, he knew for a split-second that what he was doing was horrible... it was when Cammy told him that she had experienced the same thing that he was going through. He wasn't really living for himself, and he knew it... and maybe, just maybe... he should have listened to Cammy a little bit more.

---

Trunks ran to the control console in the center of the small capsule ship and began programming the launch sequence. The Senshi, Rose, and Angela were sitting in a circle around the walls of the room, waiting for liftoff.

"I hope Cammy's okay..." said Rose, looking back and forth between Trunks and her sister Angela. "When I get my hands on that Patrick bastard, I'm going to-"

"We're going to get them all, sis... and we're going to save Cammy," Angela replied, reaching out and taking Rose's hand. "If anything's happened to her... I... I'll never forgive myself..."

"Don't say that, Angie-chan... Cammy's strong, and if anyone can get through whatever she's going through, it's her... don't blame yourself, Angela..."

As Rose and Angela reassured one another, Trunks completed his keyboard work and sat down next to Sailor Mercury as the ship's boosters fired up, blasting off the roof of the warehouse and propelling the light capsule into space, quickly giving it a huge burst of speed.

"I hope those metal patches we used to cover the cracks will hold up..." Sailor Mercury said, looking up at the ceiling. "I know yours will hold up, Trunks. You used your ki energy to weld it to the ship... your mom and I just used a drill and some screws."

"You should've used your own energy, Ami," Trunks told her. "Magical energy's structure isn't that different from ki energy, and-"

"You're forgetting, Trunks... I'm the Senshi of water and ice. I could've frozen the metal to the ship, but it would have just melted upon re-entry," Sailor Mercury said. Trunks smiled at her, then leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

"That's why I love you, Ami," Trunks replied. "I'd never have thought of that sort of thing..."

"It's a gift," Sailor Mercury replied, smiling.

As the small capsule rushed toward the space station, hovering out in space at a distance of nearly five hundred miles from Earth, it was evident that the heroes wouldn't have long to wait before they'd be knocking on Exeter's door. Soon after, they'd be able to rush in, save Cammy, and destroy all of the fiends who were threatening Earth. At least... that was the plan. Whether or not it would work... not even Sailor Mercury would possibly be able to know.

---

And that's it for chapter 9! Poor Cammy...I hope the heroes are able to get to her in time, and teach that mean Patrick a lesson! Plus, Pandemonium's itching for a rematch with Trunks... or is he? It's all in the next chapter, so be sure to read and review!


	10. An Unwelcome Welcome Wagon

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: Oh, I'm sure Cammy's going to get a chance for revenge sometime soon... I mean, all her friends are here now!

GracedAngel1854: Well, Cammy's not out of the woods yet... Patrick still has her, and he could always come back! Hope the good guys get there in time...

---

The control of the space station was ablaze with motion. Sirens were blaring, lights were flashing off and on, and several workers were busily milling about as they viewed the monitoring screens that recorded all sorts of activity taking place just outside the station. Trunks' capsule was rapidly approaching, and Pandemonium had been called into the room to be notified of the current situation. But he already knew, he could already sense the capsule's approach. Trunks was drawing nearer, and Pandemonium could feel it.

"Sir, the capsule is heading straight for us!" shouted a hysterical worker, pointing at a video feed of the capsule's approach.

"Here for their friend, no doubt," Pandemonium said, still slightly annoyed with Patrick and his abduction of Cammy. "Though this should not have happened, it was inevitable that they'd have to come to us some time. I have already ordered my best soldiers to prepare. If they wish to find their friend, they'll have to fight all the way to her."

Pandemonium turned and walked out of the room, hurriedly striding down one of the corridors.

"I just hope Nikashi's recovered in time... she won't want to miss her chance to take Trunks on," said Pandemonium. Though he knew he'd have to face Trunks himself, he also knew that it wouldn't hurt to have Nikashi soften him up first. He didn't plan to let Nikashi die, however... he would swoop in at the last moment, get Nikashi out of the room, and fight a badly-weakened Trunks himself. That was the plan, anyway... he just hoped that his warriors would be ready to distract the Senshi while he worked on Trunks. The sooner they could be separated, the better.

---

As the capsule approached the space station, Trunks checked the controls at the middle of the ship to confirm that he was still on course. He brought up a view of the outside on the capsule's large screen. There, nearly filling the screen entirely, was the space station itself, becoming larger and larger as the capsule drew closer and closer.

"That's it?" Sailor Moon asked, looking at the huge citadel on the screen. It was an impressive sight, consisting of a large, wide, circular disk with eight spikes jutting out, like the spokes of a wheel. "It looks kinda small..."

"That's just on the screen, Serena," Trunks said, continuing to stare at the picture. "It's probably more than a mile wide."

"And somewhere in all that is Cammy..." Rose said, a solemn look on her face. "It'll take forever to find her... where do we start?"

"I've already pinpointed a large opening in one of the spikes, probably some sort of landing bay left open," said Trunks, pressing a few buttons to make the camera zoom in on one of the spikes, making the opening much clearer to the seven girls. "That's where we'll come in."

"Are you sure it's not a trap, Trunks?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Maybe they're expecting us..."

"I bet they are," Trunks replied, "and that's why we'll have to be at our absolute best."

"I'm still a bit tired from training..." Sailor Mars said, still slumped against the side of the capsule. "Trunks, could you maybe slow down a bit so we could get some more rest?"

"No!" Angela shouted, rising to her feet. Tears began to pool up in her eyes, and all of the Senshi, as well as Trunks and Rose, could tell that she was extremely determined to get Cammy back. "With every second that goes by, Cammy is in more and more danger! I'm not going to stand idly by and let my sister get hurt, or raped, or killed! We're all going in and we're all going to save her!"

"Angela's right!" agreed Sailor Jupiter. "Cammy needs us, and we've got to help her out!"

"She'd do the same for us, no matter how exhausted she was!" Sailor Venus said.

"I know that, you guys, but... we're no use to Cammy if we go into battle tired and we get our butts kicked," said Sailor Mars.

"You've been training all day," Trunks replied. "Once you get into battle, you should feel stronger than ever. I know that whenever I gain new strength, even if I'm hurt or tired, I feel like I'm completely healed. All of that new energy overrides everything, and completely takes over... like when I ascended during my battle against Frieza. Frieza had beaten me to near-death, but once I became a level two Super Saiyan, all the new energy seemed to heal my wounds... of course, it didn't, so I was bandaged up quite a bit until my mom could make some new Senzu Beans."

"In other words, what Trunks is saying is... don't worry about being tired out from training, just do your best and you'll do fine!" Sailor Moon said, simplifying Trunks' speech. "Right, Trunks? Did I get it right?"

"Absolutely right, Serena... thank you," Trunks said. Suddenly, a sharp beeping noise focused Trunks' attention back on the capsule's viewscreen. "Well, we seem to be approaching the opening now. Remember, they're probably expecting us, so be on your guard."

Everyone who had been sitting stood up, including Sailor Mercury, who walked over to Trunks and placed her hand on his shoulder. She looked up at him and nodded, and he nodded back to her, knowing that both of them were ready for whatever was to come.

---

The capsule ship entered the hole and floated into a large, open room, completely empty of everything but a few small space rocks, floating inside the room. As the ship landed, the large hole suddenly closed, and the rocks fell to the ground as gravity returned to the room.

"What's going on?" Sailor Moon asked. "Why did the hole close?"

"It's probably triggered by the entrance and exit of a ship," Sailor Mercury replied. "Or... Trunks could be right about them expecting us, and it was closed remotely."

"Whatever the reason, I think we should get out and begin our search, quick," Trunks said, pressing a button on the console and opening up the capsule ship's door. "Ladies first."

Rose and Angela stepped out of the ship, followed by the Senshi, and finally Trunks. The door closed, leaving the eight warriors standing inside the middle of the large room. The room's walls shined with a bright, silvery glow, indicating that they were made of some sort of metal which reflected the light shined off. Trunks looked all the way down to the end of the room, where three small, metal doors sealed the room off from the rest of the ship. Trunks, the Senshi, and the two sisters ran down to the three doors and began to ponder their next course of action.

"We should stay together and search these doors one by one," Trunks said. "If we split up, we're bound to end up in big trouble. There could be some very strong people in this place, and-"

"But if we stay together, we won't cover any ground!" Rose shouted. "Angela and I can take the door on the left, and then Trunks, you can take a door, and the Senshi can take the other door! We just want to find our sister, beat up whoever it is that kidnapped her, and get out of this grody place!"

"Hey, now who's the leader here?" Sailor Moon asked indignantly. "I am, and I say that-"

"Who's the strongest?" Sailor Mercury replied, obviously indicating Trunks. "I think Trunks is right about strong people... but we're all just as strong as they are, and Rose does have a very good point. We've got to find Cammy as quickly as possible... Trunks and I can search the center door, Rose and Angela can take the left door, and the rest of you can take the right door. Trunks... I'm sure that's okay, right?"

Trunks began to nod, but then replied with another idea.

"Ami, I... I think you'd be better off with the other Senshi," Trunks said. "I love you, and I cherish every moment I spend with you, but... the Senshi is your group, and there are a lot of things they can't do without your help... no offense, Serena."

Sailor Moon groaned, and Trunks continued.

"You're strong, Ami... I still worry about you, but somehow, I know you'll be safe. You need to help your friends, okay? They need you just as much as I do."

Sailor Mercury nodded, but her eyes still reflected a look of great concern. Trunks' eyes widened. Was Ami hurt? Had Trunks said something that had made Ami feel like a burden to him? It wasn't the message he'd wanted to convey to her, because she was anything like a burden... she was his strength, his will to fight, his will to live... but her fellow Senshi needed her. She was brilliant, she could help them, and only with her could they use their Sailor Planet Power attack, an attack strong enough to harm even Trunks himself. With Ami, the Senshi were unstoppable. Without her... Trunks wasn't sure.

"It's just that... I'm worried, Trunks," Mercury said. "Not for myself, but for you... I'm scared they'll gang up on you, Trunks... I don't want to leave you alone, I don't want to go away and come back and see you hurt, I don't want... I don't want to leave you, Trunks..."

Those words surprised Ami even as they were coming out of her mouth. Had she become so dependent on Trunks that she couldn't stand to be away from him for even a second? She'd spent days without him before, even as recently as a month or two ago... that wasn't it, though being without Trunks hurt Ami, it wasn't like she couldn't stand it, but... it was something else. He feared and prayed for her safety, and she feared and prayed for his. Being away from Trunks meant being helpless, unable to save him if something happened, if someone attacked. She knew that Trunks had taken serious damage in his fight with Pandemonium, and if Ami had been there, maybe... the mention of Trunks' fight with Frieza just a short while ago aboard the capsule brought a chill to Ami's spine. The most painful part of that entire ordeal hadn't been the terrible wounds and injuries inflicted upon her body, but the complete sense of helplessness and shame that she had felt as she watched Trunks sustain those same wounds, his body battered and mutilated as he fought to save her life. The horrible agony of not even being able to tell Trunks that she still loved him despite all of the pain she had endured because of being with him, of thinking even for a second that Trunks truly believed she hated him... her telepathic connection with Trunks in close proximity would prevent something like that from ever happening again, but even then, if she was more than a thousand feet away, their connection would be severed again, and she didn't want that to happen either. No, Ami had to be with Trunks, to pull him out of the water if he fell in too deep... she knew that even he might need rescuing one of these days.

"Ami, I... you know your friends need you, but if you really want to come with me, then you can," said Trunks. "Thank you, Ami..."

"I don't want to be a burden, Trunks, I just want to make sure you'll be alright," Sailor Mercury replied. "Serena, is that alright with-"

"Go ahead," Sailor Moon said, a smile on her lips. _"This is like when Fred and Daphne go off on that Scooby-Doo show... they SAY they're going after the bad guy, when they're really making out in the Mystery Machine! Nah, Trunks and Ami aren't like that... they know what they're doing."_

The sound of a door sliding open and then quickly sliding closed caused Trunks and the Senshi to turn their heads toward the left door. Both Rose and Angela were gone.

"They must have gone ahead," said Trunks. "They're really eager to find their sister... I just hope they don't bite off more than they can chew..."

"We'd better get going ourselves," said Sailor Jupiter, walking over to the control panel on the right door and opening it up. "Wow, I got it the first time..."

"We'll see you two later!" Sailor Venus said as she, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars walked through the door. "Don't get too comfortable being by yourselves... Sailor Moon said we're going to try and meet up with everyone somewhere."

As the door on the right closed, leaving Trunks and Sailor Mercury alone in the room, Trunks walked toward the center door's control console and pressed the button on its front panel, causing the door to slide open.

"Let's go, Ami," Trunks said, walking through the doorway.

"Trunks, I hope we find Cammy soon," said Sailor Mercury as she followed Trunks inside and watched the door slide closed behind her. "After we do, are we going to.... end this once and for all?"

"Yes," Trunks said, walking down the hallway in front of him with Sailor Mercury following close behind. "I won't let those fiends attack the people I care about anymore. They're all going to pay."

---

Rose and Angela's route had taken them through several large rooms consisting of walkways precariously perched over long, straight drops.

"I wonder what's down there?" Angela asked as she turned her head and looked down from the walkway while still running across.

"I don't know, and I don't wanna know," Rose said. "Just keep running until we reach the exit!"

As the girls continued to run, they could see a wide door at the end of the walkway, with a long, solid crossfloor just in front of it, stretching across the length of the room."Looks like that door leads to the end of these dumb rooms!" Rose shouted.

"It's about freaking time," Angela replied. "I'm afraid of heights!"

But just before the girls could reach the end of the room, a strong wind began to blow, sending the girls screaming and flying across the long walkway, all the way to the middle. They landed on top of one another, groaning in pain as they slammed into the hard, metallic walkway floor. They stood up, and saw Elbarzad standing at the other end of the walkway, laughing at them.

"If you foolish girls think you're leaving this room alive, you're more naive than you look," Elbarzad said, his arms across his chest.

"This walkway's the only thing keeping you from plummeting to your doom!" shouted a voice from behind the two sisters. They turned around to see Grenate standing all the way across the room on the other side of the walkway, creating a pincer-attack situation that left the two girls trapped in the middle. Rose and Angela looked back and forth nervously before standing back-to-back on the walkway, Rose facing Grenate while Angela faced Elbarzad. Sweat was pouring down the sisters' faces.

"It's about time you met your maker!" Grenate shouted. Suddenly, the room began to shake with incredible force. The strong metallic walkway began to buckle and crumble beneath the two girls.

"No! He's going to make it collapse!" Angela shouted.

"Hurry!" Rose ordered, pointing toward Elbarzad and the end of the room. "We've gotta get across before-"

But it was too late. Without warning, the floor fell out from underneath the two girls, and the entire walkway, except for the small part that Grenate was standing on, and the crossfloor under Elbarzad's feet, plummeted toward the vast, dark hole, sending the two screaming girls falling to their demise.

"Excellent work, Grenate," Elbarzad said. "Those girls will never bother us-"

Suddenly, a long, thorny rose vine wrapped around Elbarzad's torso, pinning his arms to his sides and piercing his skin, pulling him into the hole with Rose and Angela. A loud, piercing scream was the last thing Grenate heard as his comrade sank into the black pit.

"Damn it!" Grenate shouted. "Well, I guess they didn't want to die alone. At least they-"

Another thorny vine wrapped around Grenate's ankle. As he cried out in pain, the vine began to pull him down into the crevasse. Desperately, Grenate grabbed for the precipice as he was pulled down, and barely managed to catch it with one hand. Now, he was hanging on for dear life from the remnants of the walkway, screaming loudly as his hand began to slip.

"Bitch!" Grenate yelled out as loud as he could. "Let me go this instant! You'll pay for this, I'm warning you!"

Suddenly, Grenate could see a woman with long, blue hair, climbing up the vine connected to his ankle. It was Angela, and before Grenate could do anything about it, she had carefully climbed over him and onto the precipice.

"Hey there," Angela said, looking down at Grenate with a big smile on her face. "How's it hangin'?"

"Damn you, pull me up!" Grenate shouted. "Your sister's hanging on the vine, and if I fall, she dies too!"

"Hold on, mister. Where's our sister?" Angela shouted. "I love Rosie-chan very much, but I'd be more than pleased to let you and your big stinky friend fall to your doom. So tell me where Cammy is, or-"

"Or you'll do what?" asked Grenate, his grip on the metallic walkway becoming more tenuous as his grip continued to loosen. "I think you're bluffing... you wouldn't dare risk your other sister's life.... "

"WHERE IS SHE?" Angela shouted, her hand clamping over Grenate's, her fingernails beginning to break into his skin, causing his grip on the precipice to slip even more.

"I don't... I don't know!" Grenate shouted. "That perverted Patrick is keeping her locked up in a room somewhere, I swear I haven't seen her!"

"Okay, thank you, that's all I needed," Angela said. "Okay, Rosie-chan!"

Another thorn-covered vine flew up and wrapped around Angela's wrist, but none of the thorns were anywhere near Angela's skin. She tugged on the vine until her sister Rose was safely on the precipice, and then pulled the vine back. Two vines coming from her left hand were still wrapped around Grenate and Elbarzad, and as they disappeared, a loud, desperate scream could be heard coming from thousands of feet below. Grenate was still hanging from the remnants of the walkway, still trying to pull himself up.

"That's your buddy, plummeting to his death," Rose said, lifting her foot above Grenate's hand. "And very soon, you'll be joining him."

With a burst of strength, Grenate quickly pulled himself up onto the ledge and kicked Rose's leg out from under her, knocking her to the floor on her back. Angela gasped, but Rose simply stood up and kicked Grenate all the way out of the room, into the previous room, which contained another long walkway. He slammed into the walkway face first, groaning as he climbed to his feet. Angela and Rose entered the room just after him, standing on the long crossfloor inbetween the walkway and the door.

"Not very much space to fight, is it?" Grenate asked, stepping back away from the two girls. "Damn you... you lousy, cheap, dirty... you killed Elbarzad!"

"I can't believe you guys even care about one another," Rose said. "Besides, you guys are the dirty fighters! You trapped us on that walkway and tried to send us falling to our deaths! That's just pathetic!"

"Well, I'm more than happy to take the two of you on by myself," Grenate said. "Unfortunately, since we're in such a cramped area-"

"This is a good place to fight," Rose said, stepping out onto the walkway. "Angela, stay in front of the door. I don't think he'll try and take out the walkway with both of us on it, but-"

"I don't have to take out the walkway!" Grenate shouted, running toward Rose. "I can take out the two of you just fine!"

---

The Senshi, meanwhile, had been wandering through much more conventional corridors, made up of long hallways with hundreds of doors lining them. They checked each and every door, but could find none containing anything of any consequence, including Cammy. Most of the rooms seemed to be living quarters, containing beds and closets, but none of the people inhabiting those rooms seemed to be present.

"They must be mobilizing for something," Sailor Moon said, having inspected what must have been her fiftieth empty room. "This is insane!"

"Cammy could be anywhere in this place," Sailor Mars said. "I don't think she'd be anywhere near here, though... these rooms are for regular, low-level soldiers... the beings we fought seem to be much stronger."

"So whoever kidnapped Cammy must be holding her somewhere else, like in a secret area of the station," said Sailor Moon as she stood next to Sailor Mars in one of the hallways. "Are you sure she wouldn't be kept in an ordinary soldier's room? It's the last place anyone would look..."

"But she could easily escape if kept with a weak, low-level soldier," said Sailor Jupiter. "She's just as tough as we are, and I know I could escape if an ordinary person kidnapped me. She's gotta be somewhere that's extremely well-guarded..."

"Hey guys, I think I found something!" shouted Sailor Venus from one of the adjacent hallways. As the other three Senshi ran toward the source of Sailor Venus' voice, she could see that she was standing in front of a large, open door with the words "Training Area" engraved on a golden plate just above it. When the Senshi looked inside, they could see a large, wide-open room, similar to the hangar where they'd landed but not quite as big, with weapons and other training equipment lining the walls, as well as a large, raised fighting ring in the center of the room. The Senshi walked into the room and leapt up onto the ring, which was about fifty feet in diameter. The hard, tiled floor of the ring was stained in blood, indicating spots where the training had gotten especially violent.

"This must be where their soldiers or whoever are trained," said Sailor Venus, looking all around the room. "Eww, it smells all sweaty in here... this room must've been used recently. It's a shame they can't clean it up once in a while..."

"I wonder who trains the soldiers?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"That would be me," came Flarinsa's voice from another entrance to the room, at the opposite end from where the Senshi had come in. She was being accompanied by Patrick, whose expression indicated that he was not happy to be there.

"Where are you two jerks keeping Cammy?" Sailor Moon shouted.

Upon the mention of Cammy's name, Patrick's head jerked up. He smiled a sick smile in Sailor Moon's direction.

"That information will remain confidential," said Patrick. "Besides, it won't matter once all of you are dead."

__

"So Patrick IS keeping Cammy somewhere," Sailor Moon thought, horrified. _"I really hope he hasn't done anything to her yet... we've got to beat this sick perv and rescue her!"_

"I didn't think you'd tell us, you perverted bastard!" shouted Sailor Jupiter. "So we're prepared to beat that information out of you!"

"We will get Cammy back," said Sailor Mars. "We made a promise!""And we plan to keep that promise!" Sailor Venus shouted.

"Because we're the Sailor Senshi, and in the name of the Moon... we'll punish you!" Sailor Moon shouted. The four Senshi stood in the center of the ring and remained in a fighting stance as Flarinsa and Patrick ran up and leapt into the ring to face them.

"Your death is imminent, Sailor Senshi... we've been training quite a bit since our earlier defeat, and you can rest assured we won't be beaten again," Flarinsa said. She pointed her arms at the Senshi and let loose with a series of small, red blasts that detonated in several explosions just in front of the Senshi and sent them leaping for cover. While this was going on, Sailor Mars ran at Patrick and slapped him hard across the face, stunning him and leaving a bright red welt on his cheek.

"How dare you force your perverted ways on an innocent young woman!" Sailor Mars shouted, her eyes flaring up with anger. "You'll pay for everything you've done to Cammy!"

Patrick didn't reply, but instead, turned around and blasted Sailor Mars with a thick sheet of ice, coating her entire body and sending her flying back. She landed on her stomach, causing the ice to shatter and leaving her lying face down on the floor, with shattered chunks of ice all around her fallen form.

"Jupiter Thundercloud Zap!"

Sailor Jupiter hurled hundreds of disks of lightning at Patrick. The disks surrounded him and shocked him several times with deadly electrical energy, before dissipating and leaving Patrick with several intense burns.

"Unnh..." Patrick groaned, stumbling about as smoke swirled up from his body. Before he could recover, Sailor Jupiter leapt forward with a powerful punch to Patrick's face that sent him sprawling out of the ring. He landed on the floor on his back, groaning in pain.

__

"I've gotta get back to Cammy," Patrick thought as he stood up, only to see an angry Sailor Jupiter stalking toward him. _"This is pathetic..."_

Meanwhile, Flarinsa had her hands full with Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus, using bursts of fire to block their powerful attacks. Suddenly, one of Venus' chains smacked across her leg, slicing a long, bleeding gash and catching Flarinsa off-guard for a large energy blast by Sailor Moon. The blast hit her squarely in the chest, detonating in a bright explosion. As the smoke cleared, Flarinsa was still standing, but was dazed for several seconds.

"Success!" Sailor Moon shouted, turning to Sailor Venus. "A few more of those, and we'll win this fight quick!"

Sailor Venus nodded. As soon as she did, a burning, red fireball slammed into her back, causing her to cry out and fall flat on her face. Flarinsa stood above her, glowering in rage.

"And you'd better stay down!" Flarinsa shouted.

"My friend!" Sailor Moon shrieked. She leapt back and concentrated a large amount of energy into her hands, preparing to fire a series of blasts at Flarinsa. But then, a cold mist suddenly engulfed her body, and she soon found her arms frozen to her sides. She fell over, shivering from the immense cold that had quickly overtaken her. "W-w-w-what the..."

Patrick smiled, and kicked the frozen Sailor Moon in the face, rolling her over toward Flarinsa. Flarinsa smiled, and looked back up at Patrick.

"Excellent work," said Flarinsa, stomping on the helpless Moon Senshi's head.

"Aaaaargh!" Sailor Moon screamed as Flarinsa's foot connected with the side of her face. "Gotta... break out of..."

"I'm coming, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars shouted, running toward her fallen friend and pointing her arms at Flarinsa and Patrick. "Take this!"

A bright fireball flew at Flarinsa and Patrick, exploding in their faces before they had time to dodge. The heat from the explosion melted the ice around Sailor Moon, freeing her and leaving her lying in a puddle on the floor of the ring. Flarinsa and Patrick screamed as flames scorched their bodies, while Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus stood up and joined Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars in the ring. When the flames subsided, the two were left with slight burns all over their bodies, but neither Flarinsa nor Patrick seemed to be too badly hurt.

"I told you we've gotten stronger!" shouted Flarinsa. "And now, we're going to-"

"Looks like your friend's had enough!" Sailor Venus remarked, pointing toward Patrick, who was fleeing toward the back entrance of the room. Flarinsa turned toward Patrick and gasped in shock.

"Dammit, come back here and help me!" Flarinsa shrieked, her voice beginning to fill with rage. Patrick didn't even turn to look at Flarinsa as he ran out of the room, obviously going back to inflict more pain on Cammy. Sailor Mars realized this, and began to follow Patrick out of the room."Mars, where are you going?" Sailor Moon shouted. "We've gotta stay and finish Flarinsa off!""I can't let him hurt Cammy anymore!" Sailor Mars shouted back. "I know exactly where he's going!"But just before Sailor Mars could reach the door, she was engulfed in flames and fell to her knees, screaming in pain. The other three Senshi immediately shouted Sailor Mars' name.

"You're staying right here!" Flarinsa shouted. "I'm going to burn all of you to ashes!"

With a loud scream, Flarinsa let out a huge wave of magical energy in the form of flames that swept across the room. The Senshi put their arms up to the faces to shield themselves as the scorching energy wave rushed past. As Sailor Mars climbed back up into the ring and joined the other three Senshi, they could all see the incredible force that Flarinsa had been able to unleash at full strength. Her body seemed to be engulfed in flames, and the smiling, cackling Flarinsa was right at the center.

"Like I said, I'll destroy all of you pathetic Senshi!" Flarinsa shrieked. "Prepare to burn in the fires of hell!"

---

Meanwhile, Trunks and Sailor Mercury's search for Cammy had been equally fruitless. They wandered endlessly through mazes of corridors before finally reaching a large, jet-black door. When they opened it and stepped inside, they found themselves inside a huge room lit only with red light. As they slowly walked toward the back of the room, Sailor Mercury began to shiver, as if she'd sensed the presence of some great evil. Trunks sensed Mercury's shivering, and turned back to face her.

"Ami, are you alright?" Trunks asked. Sailor Mercury nodded, but then looked around nervously.

"I don't like this place... something's going to happen," said Sailor Mercury, her voice beginning to tremble. As Trunks reached up to touch her face, trying to reassure her, a cold wind began to blow in the room. It wasn't a wind of air, but a wind of energy, being pushed out towards Trunks and Sailor Mercury.

"What's that?" Sailor Mercury shouted, trying to glimpse toward the back of the room.

"Someone's here... I can feel it...!"

And then, a brilliant black flash immediately drew Trunks and Sailor Mercury's attention to the black of the room. There, floating amidst a sea of red and black light, was Nikashi, her long, glowing red whip clutched menacingly in her right hand. Sailor Mercury's arms wrapped tightly around Trunks' chest as she felt the intense power coming off of Nikashi, rivaling that of Trunks himself. Trunks protectively wrapped his arm around her back, knowing that both he and Sailor Mercury were in grave danger.

"Well, look who we have here... what a lovely surprise!" Nikashi shrieked. Trunks gently released Sailor Mercury and stepped forward.

"Your fight is with me," Trunks said. "Leave Ami-"

Suddenly, a glowing, black barrier rose up between Trunks and Sailor Mercury, bisecting the room and cutting them off from one another. Now, Sailor Mercury was the only one who could possibly reach the exit of the room, as the barrier blocked both Trunks and Nikashi from the large, black door. Trunks turned toward the barrier and pounded it with his fists as Sailor Mercury looked at him fearfully from the other side.

"Trunks!" Sailor Mercury screamed as loud as she could, her voice muffled by the barrier. "Can you hear me?"

"I'm coming, Ami, don't worry!" Trunks shouted. Within seconds, he transformed into a Super Saiyan. "Ami, step back! I'm going to-"

Suddenly, Nikashi's long, red whip wrapped around Trunks' neck and tightened like a noose, pulling him back and cutting off his airway. As Trunks gasped for breath, Sailor Mercury screamed even louder, blasting the barrier with ice energy in a desperate attempt to break it and get to Trunks.

"You told me to leave Ami out of this," Nikashi said as she pulled back on the whip, pulling Trunks closer and closer. Finally, Trunks lost his footing, and fell to his knees on the ground, his golden energy aura still brightly pulsating around him. "Look at that, the mighty Trunks is on his knees already! This is going to be so much fun..."  
  
"TRUNKS!" Sailor Mercury shouted, desperately pounding on the barrier as tears began to streak down her face. _"This is what I was afraid of... Trunks, no!"_

---

Once more, Patrick stepped into the small, dark room where he had been keeping Cammy as his captive. Now, he was all alone with her, and there would be nothing to stop him from getting exactly what he wanted out of his helpless prisoner. As she looked up at him, tears were still streaming down her face, and her eyes had grown wide and puffy from crying. The bandage was still plastered tightly over her mouth, muffling whatever sobs she could muster. The cut on her cheek had stopped bleeding, leaving a thin stream of caked-up blood on the side of her face. She trembled as Patrick slowly walked toward her and once more stroked his hand across her cheek.

"There there now, what's the matter?" Patrick asked mockingly. "You must know by now that your sisters came to rescue you."Cammy's eyes lit up, and she looked into Patrick's face, desperately hoping that her sisters were somewhere, anywhere nearby.

"But you see, the funny thing is... we killed them, both of them," Patrick said. "It was quite easy... they were so determined to save you, but being the weak, pathetic little girls they are, it was quite easy to-"

__

"You bastard, there's no way you could've killed them!" Cammy tried to scream out, but her words were muffled by the piece of tape. _"You'll pay for trying to make me think they're dead! I'll destroy you! I swear, I'll destroy you!"_

With renewed strength, Cammy tugged at the bonds around her ankles and wrists with all of her might, not realizing that the only thing she had accomplished was having the thick wires cut even deeper into her already injured skin. Her screams of anger soon mixed with screams of pain, and her struggling finally came to a halt when Patrick's fist slammed into her stomach, immediately knocking her back into a slumping position, now with a thin stream of blood pouring down from her nostrils. Patrick smiled, and then struck Cammy again, this time with another hard slap across her face. Cammy's head drooped down, and to Patrick, it looked like she had passed out.

"Oh, that simply will not do," said Patrick, placing his hand on her chest and sending waves of cold energy coursing through her entire body. The sudden cold shock jolted Cammy from unconsciousness, and Patrick gave a satisfied grin and pulled back his hand. Cammy groaned once, her eyes blinking open and closed as she floated back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness, pain and numbness, anger and despair.

__

"What if he's... what if he's right?" Cammy thought. _"What if my sisters are dead... no, no! I won't believe it! They're here, I know they're here... I know they'll come save me!"_

Patrick's hand once again reached for the zipper on the top of her jumpsuit. Slowly, he pulled it down, revealing more and more of her skin. He once more reached the top of her chest, where he was barely able to see the middle of her green sport bra. As he continued to pull down the zipper, Cammy trembled more and more, her sobs becoming more and more frequent. It seemed that finally, Cammy had given up, resigning herself to her fate. But as Patrick pulled the zipper down to just above her stomach, he stopped again. His own hand was now trembling.

__

"What am I... what am I doing?" Patrick thought, briefly looking back up at Cammy's face, and into her wide, tear-filled eyes. _"She... she's... she so scared... this... this can't be... can't be right... no, Patrick, what the hell are you thinking?"_

He let go of Cammy's zipper and stood back up, turning away from the trembling girl. He took several steps away from her and ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head repeatedly.

__

"I can't go through with this," Patrick thought._ "Dammit, I just need to get out for a few minutes to clear my head... _dammit!"

Without even looking back at Cammy, Patrick exited the room, still shaking his head. As the door closed again, Cammy could only look up in amazement, wondering what could possibly have made Patrick stop.

__

"My sisters... my sisters must be here!" Cammy thought, her eyes lighting up. _"That's why he stopped, that's gotta be! Rosie-chan, Angie-chan, I'm in here... hurry!"_

---

But Rose and Angela were still in another area of the space station, fighting a two-on-one battle against Grenate. It should have been easy, but he had been putting up a surprising amount of resistance, and all three fighters had taken some considerable damage during the fight. A big factor was the location of the fight. Grenate had seemed completely fearless fighting on the walkway, thousands of feet above whatever was below, but Rose and Angela were much more weary of the great height, and they had been holding back somewhat to avoid one of them taking a fall. Now, the girls were facing down Grenate in the center of the walkway, ready to put him away for good.

__

"I can't be afraid!" Angela thought determinedly. _"Cammy's life is depending on this!"_

"Time for you girls to take the plunge!" Grenate said arrogantly. Once more, the room began to shake.

__

"What's he doing?" Rose thought. _"If he knocks down the walkway with all of us on it, he'll die too!"_

"Rose, he's trying to get away!" Angela shouted, pointing at Grenate, who was dashing for safety at the other end of the walkway. Rose began to growl.

"So _that's _his little game, huh..." Rose said, her knees wobbling as the room continued to shake. "I don't think so!"

Rose pointed her arms out at Grenate and shot two vines. One of them wrapped around Grenate's leg, the other around his waist. As the vines began to pull Grenate toward the two girls, the walkway started to crack and buckle, just as the other one had.

"Angela, run to the other end of the room, quick!" Rose shouted. Angela nodded, running to the crossfloor just in front of the door to the room with the collapsed walkway.

"Rose, hurry!" Angela shouted, barely able to stand as the room continued to shake. "Get back here now!"

As more cracks appeared in the walkway, Rose leapt back, her vines still wrapped around Grenate's body. She leapt back to the crossfloor and released Grenate from her vines. As soon as she did, the earthquakes stopped.

"You thought... you could play a trick... on me..." said Grenate, stumbling to his feet. "Thought you could turn my own attack against me?"

Grenate began stumbling toward the two girls, not noticing the ground beneath his feet beginning to collapse.

"Now... you're trapped... and I'm going to make you pay!" Grenate shouted. Suddenly, the floor fell out from under him, and the entire walkway collapsed, sending Grenate plummeting into the oblivion below. Rose and Angela looked down the large, gaping hole, and then exchanged high-fives.

"That was great, Rosie-chan!" Angela cheered. "We knocked both of them down the hole..."

"Now that that's over, what do you say about getting Cammy back?" Rose asked.

"Okay!" Angela said eagerly. "I just hope she's not hurt..."

But as soon as the girls entered the next room, they were confronted by a horrifying sight. The walkway in front of them had collapsed at the very beginning of the fight, and the walkway behind them was gone as well. The two girls were trapped.

"Oh no... what do we do?" Angela shouted. "Rosie-chan, we have to-"

"We've gotta try and jump," Rose said, turning to Angela. "Trunks said it's just a matter of magical energy, right? Focus, concentration... you know, using your energy to give your legs strength for the jump. Like this!"

Rose walked back onto the crossfloor in the previous room as much as she could. Then, getting as much of a running start as she could muster, she dashed into the other room and leapt out from the precipice, concentrating all of her magical energy into her legs to span the wide gap. Though the jump was more than 100 feet, Rose made it cleanly to the crossfloor on the other side, with about two feet to spare. She collapsed onto one knee and began breathing heavily, the jump having taken much more of her energy than she'd thought it would.

"C'mon, Angie-chan..." Rose said, standing up and beckoning her sister to make the jump. "You've gotta do this, for Cammy! Think about Cammy and try to concentrate your energy..."

"Rose, can't you just use your vines to pull me in?" Angela whined from across the gap. "I don't think I can do it..."

"Fine," Rose said, pointing her hand at Angela. "I just don't want you to get hurt by the thorns on my vines, that's all... but here goes."

Rose shot a vine out across the gap and wrapped it around Angela's waist. Sure enough, one of the thorns embedded into Angela's skin, making a small wound. Steeling her courage, Angela bit her lip and allowed Rose to pull her across the gap, slowly and carefully. After about ten seconds, Angela was across, and Rose loosened the vine from her waist. Angela's hand immediately flew to the large cut that the vine had inadvertently made in her flesh.

"You alright?" Rose asked, inspecting the wound. "I told you..."

"No, it's okay... maybe I should have just leaped across the gap," Angela replied, rubbing the wound. "I probably would've made it..."

"Well, Cammy needs our help... are you ready, Angela?" Rose asked. Angela nodded, and the two girls ran through the door. They immediately found themselves in a wide corridor lined with several doors, but not nearly as many doors as the living quarters that the Senshi had investigated. These rooms had specific names and purposes, such as storage rooms, utility rooms, and various other types of rooms. The two girls left no stone unturned, checking each and every room for any sign of Cammy. After several unsuccessful attempts, Angela found a door marked "Utility-W", and opened it up, not expecting to find much of anything except perhaps another boiler. She couldn't have been more wrong.

__

"Angie-chan?" was Cammy's first thought as the door opened and she saw the silhouette of her sister, standing in the doorway. She gave a muffled cry, and Angela immediately knew that she'd found her sister.

"Rose, I found Cammy! You'd better come quick..."

As the two sisters dashed into the room, they immediately gasped at the severity of Cammy's situation. Blood covered her face and arms, and her jumpsuit was unzipped all the way down to her stomach, though it remained in place, only revealing a small portion of her bra. Angela immediately bent down and removed the bandage from Cammy's lips, while Rose set about untying the bonds around her sister's hands.

"Angela..." Cammy whispered in a choked-out sob, "I'm... I'm so glad... I knew you'd both come..."

"Cammy, we're so sorry we let this happen..." Angela said, her own eyes beginning to tear up as she realized the pain her sister must've gone through. "We're going to get you down from here, alright?"

Rose had to use a small blast of energy to cut the wires from Cammy's wrists, and once they were finally cut, Cammy's arms immediately flopped down lifelessly to her sides. Once Angela had freed Cammy's ankles, the two sisters healed Cammy with as much of their energy as they could manage. They were able to heal her somewhat, but because they were exhausted from their battle with Grenate, Cammy's wounds weren't healed completely, though her bleeding was stopped, and Cammy was finally able to stand on her own. As she did, the three girls embraced, all of them crying tears of joy as they were reunited with each other once more.

"Did he... did he... was he able to-" Angela said, fearing the worst for her sister. Cammy shook her head.

"He was about to, but then he stopped..." Cammy replied. "I... I don't really want to talk about it right now..."

"It's alright, Cammy," Rose said, anger beginning to appear in her voice. "Those jerks won't get away with what they tried to do to you... they're going to get what they deserve!"

---

And so, Cammy is finally rescued! But can the girls really get revenge? And can Trunks defeat Nikashi, even if he's separated from Ami? And what of Flarinsa and the Senshi? All these questions will be answered in the next exciting chapter! 


	11. The Bloody Melees Continue

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I'll try my best to make this one even better!

GracedAngel1854: The fight scenes aren't over yet... there's going to be much more fighting in this chapter, and even Cammy gets involved!

Erica: Yeah, it's kind of a reversal that Trunks is the one the bad guys are after... glad you enjoy the story!

---

Rose, Angela, and Cammy walked out of the dark room and out into the hallway. As soon as they had left the room, Cammy put her head in her hands and started to sob, her entire body trembling as she cried.

"Cammy, what's the matter?" Angela asked, hugging her sister as tightly as she could. "That bastard... he must have done such horrible things to you..."

"It's our fault, Cammy," Rose said, lifting Cammy's head up and looking into her eyes. "We should have gotten here much sooner than we did... you were here nine hours, and-"

Cammy sniffled and shook her head.

"No, don't think that... it's not your faults at all," Cammy said, wiping the tears from her face. "We've just got to find Patrick and destroy him... I won't let him do to anyone else what he did to me!"

Cammy pulled up the zipper on her jumpsuit, having forgotten to do so after she was freed. After she'd done that, she began to speak to her sisters again.

"Let's go find the Senshi first and tell them I'm alright," Cammy said. "Then we can go beat Patrick."

Now that their sister seemed mostly fine, the two girls had no problem following their sister down several corridors and into a large, circular room at the end of a long hallway.

"I don't think the Senshi are in here, guys," Cammy said nervously, looking around. "Maybe I should've let one of you lead..."

"Especially since we're the only ones who have actually been outside of that room," Rose replied.

"I just wanted to find the Senshi quickly," Cammy said. "You guys probably know where they are..."

Just then, a large door at the other end of the room opened, and Patrick stepped in, muttering something to himself.

"Get a hold of yourself, Patrick," he said. "Get back in there and do what needs to be done..."

As soon as Cammy saw Patrick, she gasped, and stumbled back over to her sisters. Rose and Angela clenched their fists and growled in anger.

"Hey, you!" Rose shouted as loud as she could, causing Patrick to look up. "Yeah, you!"

"You kidnapped our sister, you big jerk! And now you're going to pay!" Angela shouted. When she looked back at Cammy, she could once again see a stream of tears falling down one side of the green-haired girl's face. Her eyes were closed and her head hung down, too scared to even look at her tormentor again. "Cammy, it's alright... we're here, and we won't let that sicko hurt you anymore!"

"How did you find her?" Patrick shouted in an angry tone, his voice filled with shock. He took several steps toward Rose, Angela, and Cammy, his rage building by the second. "She's all mine! How DARE you take her from me!"

"Look, bub... I don't know what kind of sick stuff you were planning to do to Cammy, but it's all over now!" Rose shouted. She took one step toward Patrick, and suddenly, her magical energy aura seemed to expand to twice its size as she prepared to fight. "You'll never hurt another living thing again!"

"That's right!" Angela yelled, also stepping forward. "Your days are numbered, you pervert!"

"Wait," came Cammy's voice from behind the two girls. She stepped past Rose and Angela, walking directly toward Patrick and stopping only a few feet in front of him. Tears still streamed down her face, but she simply wiped them away and turned back to her sisters. "If anyone's going to beat Patrick, it's me."

"What?! Wait! No!" Rose shouted, running over to Cammy and grabbing her by the arm. "There's no way... you're still hurt..."

"So are the both of you!" Cammy shouted, turning back toward Patrick. "I've gotta make this jerk pay for what he did to me!"

"That's so noble of you, my dear," Patrick said, a smirk on his face. "Maybe you're just back for more... maybe you enjoyed our little time together."

"Go find the Senshi," Cammy said, clenching her teeth and still looking at Patrick.

"Cammy, we're not leaving you alone with that sick pervert!" Angela shouted. "There's no way!"

"I said I'm fighting him," Cammy said. Her tears were gone and her sobs had stopped, replaced by an incredible determination that her sisters could sense as they felt the magical energy aura radiating from her body.

"She... she's really serious," Angela said, turning to Rose. "We should probably go look for the Senshi.... like Cammy said."

"You're going to let her fight Patrick alone?" Rose asked. "Angela...."  
  
"It might be the only way she'll overcome the trauma of what she's been through," said Angela. "If Cammy faces her fears head-on and beats Patrick, then..."

"I won't just beat him," Cammy said, her teeth still clenched. "I'll kill him."

Rose and Angela took one last look at their sister, and then left the room through the way they had come in, leaving Cammy and Patrick alone in the center of the room.

"I see you've gotten a bit of your strength back," said Patrick, looking Cammy up and down. Most of her wounds had been healed, but she still retained deep red marks on her wrists, as well as a faint scar on her cheek from the tip of Patrick's ice blade. Her body hadn't regained all of its energy either, and her arms had yet to retain their full feeling, even after having been healed by her sisters. "But it won't be nearly enough."

"Let's see you try to beat me when I'm not tied down," Cammy said, a bright green aura pulsating around her body. "I'm not afraid of you... but when I'm done with you, you'll definitely be afraid of me!"

---

Trunks gasped for breath as Nikashi's deadly red energy whip dug further and further into his neck. He'd lost the energy to stand, and was still on his knees on the floor, desperately struggling to free himself from Nikashi's powerful weapon. His golden energy aura was beginning to weaken and disappear, and Sailor Mercury feared the worst, still trapped behind the large red barrier that was dividing the room in two.

"Trunks!" Sailor Mercury screamed, firing another futile energy blast at the barrier. "You have to get free!"

"It's no use!" Nikashi shouted back, looking down at Trunks while pulling the deadly strand even tighter around his neck. "Trunks is all mine..."

__

"Ami..." Trunks thought to her, his voice echoing through her mind, _"Don't worry about me, just... try to get out of here... go help your friends... I'll be fine, Ami.."_

"No!" Sailor Mercury thought back to him, tears starting to appear in her eyes. _"Trunks, I'm not going to leave you here... I believe in you, Trunks... but... I have to find some way to help you!"_

"The barrier's too strong, Ami, even for me to break!" Trunks thought, still trying to climb to his feet while frantically relaying telepathic messages across the barrier. _"You've done all you can, Ami!"_

With a tug of her whip, Nikashi began to pull Trunks across the room. Trunks' hands flew to his neck, and he tugged at the whip with all his might, but it was no use. As his hands touched the glowing energy strand, he received a severe shock that caused him to cry out in pain, dropping his hands to his sides. Sailor Mercury let out another loud, anguished cry.

"TRUNKS!" she screamed, helplessly watching from across the barrier. "Please... you can't die like this! You can't!"

"Who said I'm going to kill him?" Nikashi asked, tugging on the whip again. "I'll just render him unconscious... then I can have my way with him! If you'd like to watch, you're free to do so..."

Nikashi cackled as Trunks' head slumped down toward the floor and his energy aura began to fade.__

"I'm not going to lose... I'm not going to... wait a minute... of course... Ascended Super Saiyan!"

With a burst of strength, Trunks fired up his golden energy aura once more and began to gather up all the energy he could. Nikashi gasped and tugged on the whip again, but Trunks continued to gather his energy as he prepared to make one more transformation.

"Of course..." Sailor Mercury said to herself. "Trunks hasn't gone to Super Saiyan 2 yet... _from now on, you should ascend right before every battle, Trunks!"_

"Going to Ascended Super Saiyan takes a lot of energy, Ami..." Trunks thought as he continued to gather his ki. _"But I guess now I have no choice!"_

A gigantic explosion of energy blasted forth from Trunks' body, disintegrating Nikashi's whip and blasting the evil witch all the way back into the wall, her body making a loud thud as it impacted. Trunks let out a loud scream and stood up as his muscles bulged and electricity began to spark all around him. Once the transformation ended, Trunks turned back to Nikashi, who was struggling to pick herself up, stunned from having been knocked so forcefully into the wall.

"Oh... oh crap, you weren't supposed to do that!" Nikashi shouted indignantly. "It's not fair! It's not fair at all! It-"

"Shut up," Trunks said, his fist striking Nikashi right in the mouth and knocking her back into the wall again. This time, when Nikashi hit the wall, she made a large crack that ran nearly twice the length of her body, halfway up to the ceiling of the room. Trunks pointed his hand at Nikashi and fired off a flurry of ki blasts, which hit her all at once and made a large, loud explosion.__

"That's the way, Trunks!" Sailor Mercury thought, joyfully watching as Trunks gained the upper hand on Nikashi. _"She's powerful, though... you should still be careful..."_

"Don't worry, Ami, I will be," Trunks thought back to her. As the dust settled, Trunks could see that his blasts had left a large crater in the wall, but no Nikashi. _"Did I disintegrate her? No... I can still feel her presence in the-"_

"Trunks, behind you!" Sailor Mercury screamed, as loud as she could. Before Trunks could turn around, a large energy spike slammed into his spine. Trunks screamed as sharp pain began to surge through his body, and he collapsed to his knees once more.

"That's right, Trunks, you can't beat me that easily," Nikashi said, wiping a stream of blood away from her lip. As Trunks began to crawl to his feet, Nikashi leapt up and onto the spike still embedded in Trunks' back, driving it even further into his spine. As he let out another scream, Nikashi jumped again, landing in front of Trunks and blasting him in the face with a large ball of concentrated magical energy. Trunks flew backward, barely managing to pull the energy spike out of his body before hitting the floor hard on his back. Tiles were shattered as Trunks' body impacted, bouncing off of the ground several times before coming to a stop just short of the barrier. Nikashi wasted no time, flying at Trunks as he struggled to get up from the ground. She pulled back her hand and quickly formed another energy ball, but before she could throw it at Trunks, Trunks stood up and grabbed Nikashi's wrist, twisting it as hard as he could.

"Not gonna happen," Trunks said.

"Let me go!" Nikashi cried, gritting her teeth in pain as she felt some of the bones in her wrist begin to crack under the immense strain Trunks was putting on them. "Jerk!"

Suddenly, Trunks could see out of the corner of his eye a crowd of people walking into the section of the room still separated from Nikashi and himself by Nikashi's large energy barrier. Nearly one hundred neatly-dressed men and women, all of them wearing black and white jumpsuits with some sort of insignia painted onto the front. They walked toward Sailor Mercury, who pressed her back to the barrier and looked at them with apprehension.

"Hey, get away from her!" Trunks shouted. The distraction gave Nikashi enough time to slip away from Trunks' grasp and punch Trunks in the stomach as hard as she could, her fist brightly pulsating with red magical energy. As Trunks fell to his knees, the uniformed fighters on the other side of the room continued to advance toward Sailor Mercury.

"Don't pay any attention to them," Nikashi said. "They're just here to escort your bitch out of the room. After all, she didn't even pay to see the fight!"

"I thought... you said... you wanted her in here..." Trunks said, coughing up blood and clutching his stomach.

"I wanted her to see me whipping you," said Nikashi. "But if you're going to actually put up a fight, she's going to have to leave."

"I won't let any of you take me!" Sailor Mercury shouted, pointing her arms at the uniformed fighters as they continued to advance toward her. _"Trunks, don't worry about me! Just keep fighting Nikashi!"_

"Alright, Ami... but there are so many of them, are you sure-"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

Sailor Mercury pointed her arms at part of the group and fired a large blast of ice at them, freezing several of them solid in a large chunk of ice. The ice flew to the back of the room and shattered, dropping the fighters that had been trapped inside of it to the floor, unconscious. As soon as her attack was finished, the rest of the fighters pulled out large, raygun-like weapons and began firing on her, sending hundreds of small green energy beams in her direction. She managed to dodge most of them, but the beams that hit did their fair share of damage, each of them making a small burn in Sailor Mercury's clothes and skin, as well as causing her a brief, intense sting of pain. She clenched her teeth and fired another icy blast into the crowd of fighters, freezing another group of them just as a large wave of people came at her with blazingly fast speed, sending punches and kicks at various parts of her body.

__

"I'm a distraction to Trunks if I stay," Sailor Mercury thought, concealing these particular thoughts so that Trunks wouldn't be able to hear them. She was able to block most of the punches and kicks with her forearm, as her strength and reaction time had clearly been increased by all the training she'd done with Trunks. The blows that did come in didn't hurt her very much at all, and her confidence slowly but surely began to build. _"I'm going to lead them out of here."_

Sailor Mercury kicked two of the fighters in the face, knocking them out and giving her an opening to escape. She dashed through the crowd of fighters, ignoring the raygun blasts, punches, and kicks that came her way. One of the fighters tried to tackle her as she dashed through the exit of the room, but an ice blast stopped him in his tracks, freezing him solid as Sailor Mercury successfully escaped the room, followed by scores of fighters as she left.

"Guess she doesn't want to be here anymore," Nikashi said, smiling and slowly walking over to Trunks, who was still on one knee after Ami had escaped the room.

"On the contrary," Trunks replied. "I told her to go help her friends... and I know that she'll beat the crap out of every one of your flunkies. Just look."

Nikashi looked toward the other side of the room, where about two dozen of the fighters who had attacked Sailor Mercury now laid unconscious as a result of her attacks. When she looked back at Trunks, she received a swift kick to the face, which knocked her back into the wall yet again.

"By the way, Nikashi... your punch didn't hurt me all that much," Trunks said, standing and facing Nikashi as she angrily stumbled away from the wall. "I was just watching Ami to make sure she'd get out safely, and she did. Your little plan is about to fall by the wayside."

"You're... still trapped in here," Nikashi said, her newly reformed energy whip clenched tightly in her right hand. "And I'm not going to let you out until I've beaten you into submission!"

"Suit yourself," Trunks said, a large field of electricity and ki energy glowing about his body. "I'm ready for everything you can dish out."

---

After dashing through several corridors, Sailor Mercury soon found herself completely surrounded, with crowds of uniformed fighters surrounding her on both sides. She soon knew that she would have to fight her way out if she wanted any chance to find her friends.

"You're trapped now!" shouted one of the fighters at the front of the crowd to Mercury's left. "There's no escape!"

"I know," Sailor Mercury said, pointing one arm to her left and her other arm to her right. She stretched out her palms and began to concentrate her energy. "Please, I don't want to do this..."

"Get her!" shouted the same fighter, pointing his ray gun at Sailor Mercury. The other fighters did the same, and began to open fire. Despite being buffeted by hundreds of energy beams, Sailor Mercury remained focused on her attack, quickly charging as much energy as she could.

"Just a... little bit... more..." Sailor Mercury said, her teeth clenched. She could feel a huge amount of energy now channeled at the tips of her palms. Ignoring the pain from the energy beams slamming into her body, she fired two huge blasts, each one directed at one of the two groups of fighters. The blasts detonated as soon as they hit the front of the crowds, instantly freezing dozens of fighters in an instant. Two large blocks of ice filled the corridors on each side of Sailor Mercury, seemingly trapping her. She fired another blast at each large block of ice, shattering the ice to pieces and freeing the fighters trapped inside, who fell to the floor, all of them unconscious. "That was easy... but now I should probably find the other Senshi..."

She exited the hallway, being careful not to step on anyone she'd knocked unconscious as she continued to look for her friends. She kept going, down hallway after hallway, until she finally came to a large, door with the words "Training Area" marked on a large, golden plate above it. She stepped inside, unaware of the fight going on within. As soon as she stepped inside, she could see the other four Senshi, and all four of them looked exhausted, as if they had been fighting for hours. Looking across the room, she could see the reason why. Flarinsa was standing just a few feet away from the Senshi, her fists burning with bright red flames pulsating all around them. She ran over to the Senshi, who seemed overjoyed to see her, yet clearly concerned about Sailor Mercury's condition, as her fight with Nikashi's hundreds of fighters had rendered her almost as injured as the other Senshi.

"Sailor Mercury, what happened?" Sailor Moon asked. "Where's Trunks?"

"Nikashi sent a bunch of her cronies after me," Sailor Mercury said. "Trunks is fighting her right now... I managed to fight my way here... are you guys alright?"

"Flarinsa's a lot more powerful than we thought," Sailor Mars said, sweat pouring down her face. "You're here just in time..."

"Just in time to die!" Flarinsa shouted, pointing her arms at Sailor Mercury. "Take this!"

A huge fireball rushed toward Sailor Mercury, heating up the air around it to over 200 degrees. Sailor Mercury squinted her eyes to see the bright fireball as it barreled toward her, knowing that if she didn't stop it, she could be severely burned.

"Sailor Mercury, look out!" Sailor Venus shouted, leaping in front of the fireball. "Venus Lovechain..."

Several chains flew out from Sailor Venus' hands and wrapped around the fireball, trapping it in an energy net. As Sailor Venus struggled to hold back the fireball, Flarinsa smiled and threw two more, headed straight at the overworked Senshi. They slammed into her in a bright explosion that knocked Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter to the ground, and engulfed Sailor Venus in a brilliant, incendiary pillar. Her screams of pain filled the entire room.

"NOOOO!" shouted Sailor Mercury as the flames disappeared and Sailor Venus' badly burned body collapsed to the ground. "She just... wanted to protect me... Flarinsa, you'll pay!"

---

After a while of navigating through even more long, endless corridors, Rose and Angela found themselves in front of an elevator.

"Should we go in?" Angela asked, walking up to the elevator and stroking her finger across the red button next to the door. "It's only got one button..."

"That's because it probably only goes in one direction," Rose replied. "I'm just wondering if we should wait for Cammy..."

"I hope she's doing okay," Angela said, a hint of guilt in her voice. "Cammy, we shouldn't have let her fight Patrick alone like that..."

"She wouldn't fight Patrick by herself if she wasn't confident she could beat him," said Rose.

"I know... but sometimes she can be a little eager to jump into things," Angela said. "I'm worried about her, Rosie-chan..."

"So am I," Rose said, "but right now, we've got to try to focus on our other mission, which is defeating all of the other bad guys. Let's just go inside the elevator... it'll probably take us right to where the leader of this place is! I bet Trunks and the Senshi are already fighting him right now."

The two girls pressed the button and stepped into the elevator, a small golden cylinder with enough space for about four or five people. Sure enough, the elevator only went in one direction, which was straight down. It took the elevator about a minute to reach the bottom, and when the two girls stepped out, they found themselves inside the middle of a strange research lab, with many tables spread throughout the room. Various tools and instruments were just lying on the tables, and specimen capsules lined the walls. None of the capsules were filled at the time, but that didn't stop the girls from shivering as they walked through the cold, dark lab.

"What is this place?" Rose whispered quietly. "Didn't Trunks say that this ship is owned by the... Galactic Research Armada, whatever that is?"

"Yeah... so this must be where they do their weird research and stuff!" Angela said, looking around at the different tools and instruments. "But what... kind of research?"

"Creatures, lifeforms... freaky stuff like that," Rose said. "They treat people like animals! That's probably why they're after Trunks..."

"Freaky," said Angela, hurrying over to the other side of the room. "I just hope we don't end up here... let's get the heck outta here!"

"Good idea," said Rose, walking over to the exit. "I just hope we can find the Senshi soon..."

When the girls opened the door, they slowly walked into the next room, a large, wide open expanse dimly lit by spotlights hanging from the walls. When they looked straight up, they realized that the huge room had no ceiling, or at least not one that they could see. It was just a void of darkness, menacingly hanging above the girls like a pall.

"What in the world...?" Rose said, looking up at the ceiling that wasn't there. "This place must go up forever..."

"There's gotta be a ceiling somewhere, Rosie-chan," Angela replied. "Unless... you don't think this is right below that room with the big drop, do you?"

"You mean this is where the drop goes?" Rose asked, looking up, and then back down at the floor. "Ugh... then there are probably two dead bodies lying just a short distance away. You know, the two guys we tricked into falling down here?"

"It doesn't smell like dead bodies," Angela said. "It smells clean, like the rest of the ship."

"But they haven't started to decay yet, Angela," Rose said, stepping even deeper into the seemingly endless room. "So they wouldn't smell bad for a few hours..."

"I still don't like dead bodies," Angela said, starting to shiver again. "Let's get out of-"

"Who said anything about dead bodies?" came a voice from the darkness. The girls screamed, immediately recognizing the voice as Grenate's, someone who they'd seemingly killed.

"We're not dead," said Elbarzad, leaping in front of the two girls. They stared at him in disbelief, realizing that if his body had sustained damage from the fall, they didn't see any of it, only noticing a large gash on his chest caused by one of the thorns from Rose's magical vines. "Being able to control wind can be quite useful...""Wind is a very effective padding if you're about to hit the ground," said Grenate, stepping up to the two girls from the other direction. "Both of us survived thanks to Elbarzad's quick thinking."

"Geez, I thought we got rid of you jerks!" Rose shouted angrily. "It's not fair..."

"We'll just have to destroy you two for good!" Angela shouted.

"It won't be that easy," Grenate said. Suddenly, the room began to shake violently, and a large chunk of one of the walkways above suddenly fell on top of the two girls, smashing them beneath its immense weight. "Hah!"

"It won't be... that easy..." said Rose. A bright flash of pink energy suddenly emerged from beneath the chunk of metal and stone before it exploded, showering both Elbarzad and Grenate with debris. Rose and Angela stood up, both of them brightly pulsating with red and blue light.

"I see you girls still have some strength left," Elbarzad said. "It won't be nearly enough!"

Elbarzad ran at the two girls, shooting a large burst of wind from his palm. Rose smacked away the blast of wind and ran forward, decking Elbarzad's face with her fist and sending him stumbling back. Grenate leapt at Angela and began hurling rocks at her, created by his own magical energy. Angela punched through one rock and kicked the other away before being hit in the chest by a particularly large stone, causing her to double over, grimacing in pain. Grenate dove down and swept his legs under Angela's, knocking her to the ground.

"Rosie-chan!" Angela shouted as her head impacted the hard, metallic floor. Rose stopped her assault on Elbarzad and ran toward Grenate just as he lifted a huge rock above Angela's head, preparing to smash her to bits. Rose dove on top of Grenate, knocking the huge rock from his hand and tackling him to the ground. Her fist slammed into his face repeatedly, each punch creating a small bruise on Grenate's face. Before he could get up, Rose leapt off of him and blasted him with a bright burst of pink magic, sending him flying across the room.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked, rushing to Angela and helping her off of the ground.

"Mm-hmm," Angela said, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "Thanks for saving me..."

"Torrential Windstorm!" Elbarzad shouted, blasting the girls with a huge gust that knocked both of them off of their feet. As they hit the ground, the chunk of the floor that they had landed on suddenly rose up from the ground and lifted high up into the air, rapidly toward the top of the incredibly tall room. Rose and Angela stood up on the quickly moving rock and looked down, only to see a sea of darkness below.

"We're going to be smashed!" Angela shouted, looking up to see the bottom of the walkway above just a few hundred feet away. "We've gotta do something!"

Rose nodded, quickly wrapping her vines around the end of the walkway, and then grabbing Angela around the waist. She then leapt off of the rock, looking up as it was smashed against the bottom of the walkway, sending chunks of both falling back toward the floor of the room. The two girls remained hanging from the walkway for several seconds before Rose slowly extended her vine, lowering the two girls back down to the floor.

"They're going to be really surprised to see us," said Rose, "and this is our chance to finish them off for good!"

As the two girls lowered themselves down, they could see Elbarzad and Grenate, smiling and laughing below them.

"That was great!" Grenate shouted, slapping Elbarzad a high-five. "Why didn't we think of that when we were fighting them before?"

"Just tired, I guess," Elbarzad said. "Or maybe we had a burst of inspiration just now. I wonder what Patrick did with their pathetic sister, anyway?"

"Pathetic this!" Angela shouted, pointing her arm at Elbarzad and Grenate and firing off a huge wave of razor-sharp petals at both of them. As they turned toward her, the petals soon overwhelmed them, slashing them hundreds of times before disappearing into the darkness. The two ravaged warriors fell to the ground on their knees, covered in tiny gashes caused by the deadly petals. Rose and Angela slowly walked toward them, both of them glowing brightly with magical energy.

"We thought... you were... you were.... smashed..." Elbarzad said weakly, looking up at the two girls, his face a mix of shock and pain.

"You forgot about my vines already, didn't you?" Rose said tauntingly, kicking Elbarzad in the face and knocking him flat on the floor. "That was your fatal mistake."

Rose and Angela pointed their hands at Elbarzad and Grenate, charging up a huge amount of magical energy. Before the two could scream, Rose and Angela blasted them. The last thing that Elbarzad and Grenate ever saw was a gigantic flash of pink and blue. Then, only darkness. All that was left of the two was a smoldering crater on the ground. Rose and Angela stopped for a few seconds to admire their work, and then collapsed to the floor themselves, both of them clearly exhausted by the fight.

"That was... a bit faster... than I thought it would be..." Rose breathed, looking over at Angela and smiling. "But a little bit harder too..."

"We were weak from our last fight, not to mention healing Cammy," Angela replied. "I just hope we were able to give her enough energy to beat Patrick..."

---

Cammy leapt back and fired hundreds of tiny green energy blasts at Patrick, at the exact same time he was launching hundreds of tiny icicles at her. The attacks connected simultaneously, Patrick's body scorched and bruised by the blasts, while Cammy's body was slashed repeatedly by the icicles. The two were both knocked backward, both of them hitting the ground at the same time, and both of them getting up together as well.

"If that attack is any indication, we're evenly matched," Patrick said, smiling as he walked over to Cammy. "But there's no way you'll ever be stronger than me... you're scared of me, I can tell."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Cammy shouted, even while she slowly backed down from Patrick as he continued to walk toward her. She clenched her fists, charging up for yet another attack. "I'll never surrender to you! I'll die before I ever do that!"Cammy ran at Patrick and punched at his head as hard as she could. Patrick caught her fist, squeezing it in his hand while elbowing Cammy hard in the gut. The blow knocked the wind out of Cammy, allowing Patrick to leap up and kick Cammy hard in the face, knocking her back to the ground. He pointed his palm at Cammy and blasted her body with an icy mist that quickly froze her arms to the ground. As she struggled to get up, Patrick smiled, delighting in Cammy's predicament."You're too weak to break free, aren't you?" Patrick asked. "Just like you were when I had you in my clutches... and soon, you'll be mine again."

"I already told you... I'll never surrender!" Cammy shouted. Her palms glowed brightly with magical energy, and as Patrick drew nearer, she fired off two large blasts, which hit Patrick and exploded in a bright flash of light. As energy pulsated through Cammy, she shattered the ice holding her to the ground and rushed forward, blasting Patrick again and knocking him all the way back into the wall.

"Damn you!" Patrick shouted as his back slammed into the wall, sending a wave of pain through his entire body. "How dare you... think you can defeat me..."

"I don't think I can defeat you," Cammy said, slowly walking toward Patrick as her fists once more began to glow bright green, lit up by an incredible surge of magical energy fueled by pure anger and adrenaline. "I know I can."

Cammy placed her hands on Patrick's chest and blasted him yet again, her energy destroying the wall and sending Patrick flying all the way out into the hallway, his body hitting a metallic door and crumpling it nearly in two. As his barely conscious body slumped to the ground, he groaned in pain and looked up as Cammy slowly walked toward him.

__

"I deserve this..." Patrick thought as he saw the anger in Cammy's face. _"The things I did to her... everything..."_

Cammy stood over Patrick, her eyes narrow, her face lined with hatred, her fists still glowing with energy.

"Cammy..." Patrick gasped weakly. _"No... no, she will not elude me this easily! I am strong! I'm stronger than she'll ever be!"_

Slowly, Patrick reached up toward her, his arm raising as high as it could as Patrick continued to lie on the ground. Cammy stopped a few feet away, her hand pointed toward Patrick's head.

__

"Can I really do this?" Cammy thought. _"Of course I can... this jerk tried to rape me! He hurt me! I've got to put him away right now!"_

She lowered her hand for a moment, as another thought began to creep into her head. He had stopped hurting her before... was it really because her sisters or nearby, or was it something else? Had he genuinely regretted everything he'd done?

__

"But... what if... no, if that's true, he would have apologized as soon as he saw me again, and he'd be apologizing to me right now! He's still trying to kill me! He-"

Suddenly, a beam of ice energy shot out from Patrick's hand, hitting Cammy and knocking her up to the ceiling before dropping her back down to the ground, landing face-down a few feet away from where Patrick was lying. He put down his hand and slowly climbed to his feet, brushing the debris away from his blue jumpsuit as Cammy stumbled back into the room where they had been fighting just a few minutes ago.

"I thought I finished you," Cammy whispered angrily. "I shouldn't have hesitated..."

"Why did you hesitate, Cammy?" Patrick asked. "Ah, I know. It's because you can... understand what I've been through, is that it? That I'm a... good person, right?"

"I can't believe I even thought those things about you, you big jerk!" Cammy shouted. As memories of her captivity came flooding back, she once again began to feel the familiar sting of tears, filling both of her eyes. _"No... now you're crying again, Cammy! Oh geez... what has this bastard done to you?"_

"What's the matter, Cammy?" Patrick asked. "You're not going to cry again, are you?"

"Shut up!" Cammy shouted, angrily wiping tears from her face. "You can't even begin to understand... you're a horrible person!"

Cammy ran at Patrick again, more furious than ever.

---

The Senshi crowded around Sailor Venus, all of them fearing the worst as smoke continued to rise off of the afflicted girl's body. Sailor Mercury placed her fingers to Sailor Venus' neck, sighing as she felt a strong pulse rapidly beating beneath her skin.

"She's just unconscious," said Sailor Mercury.

"Of course... I am..." Sailor Venus ground, her body weakly beginning to stir. "Just... a bit crispy is all...."

"Sailor Venus, don't try to move, okay?" Sailor Mercury said, looking back and forth between Sailor Venus and Flarinsa. "You're pretty badly hurt..."

"We'll take care of her!" Sailor Mars shouted. She and Sailor Jupiter ran at Flarinsa. Both of them blasted her at the same time, hitting Flarinsa with a mix of potent fire and lightning magic. The attack stunned Flarinsa for a brief second, but she quickly recovered, firing two more large fireballs at the Senshi.

"Those are just like the ones she roasted Sailor Venus with... if those hit us, we're toast! Literally!" Sailor Moon shouted. Sailor Mercury stood up and stepped away from Sailor Venus, pointing her arms at the fireballs.

"Mercury... Infusion... Maelstrom!" Sailor Mercury shouted, twirling around and sending a huge wave of water rushing out in all directions. As the fireballs hit the waves of water, they were quickly doused, and the water continued to rush outward, slamming into Flarinsa and knocking her flat on her back.

"You didn't concentrate your energy, Ami..." Sailor Moon said, looking over at Sailor Mercury in disbelief. "That's one of your regular attacks, isn't it?"

"While there's much to be said for Trunks' methods, I still find my old attacks to be quite effective," Sailor Mercury said. "Plus, after all that training we did, even our old attacks should be really powerful!"

"What about using a Sailor Planet Power attack?" Sailor Jupiter asked. She glanced over at Sailor Venus, who was still lying on the ground, flat on her back. "Do you think..."

"I can... get up..." Sailor Venus said, trying to pick herself off of the ground. As she slowly tried to stand, Flarinsa jumped up and launched another fiery attack at the Senshi, a plume of five fire arrows that were targeted straight at the Senshi's hearts.

"I don't think so!" Sailor Moon said, pointing her henshin stick at one of the arrows and blasting it with a large beam of golden energy. "Those kind of attacks are-"

Suddenly, Sailor Moon's entire body began to burst with flames, causing the Moon Senshi to collapse to the ground on her knees, shrieking loudly. The arrow, despite being engulfed right in the center of Sailor Moon's powerful blasts, had still found its target, as did all four of the other arrows, embedding themselves within the Senshi's hearts and causing their entire bodies to combust, burning like a brilliant ember.

"Too much...." Sailor Mars gasped as the searing flames licked at every square inch of her skin. "Sailor Moon, do something!"

"TRUNKS!" Sailor Mercury shouted, the only person she could think of that could possibly erase the incredible pain that was coursing through her entire being. "Where are you...?"

"That's it, Sailor Senshi!" Flarinsa shouted, cackling loudly. "Feel the flames! Feel the heat of the scorching flames as you're burned alive!!!"

__

"No..." Sailor Mercury thought, not letting a single tear escape her eyes. _"What did Trunks teach me? I have to... I have to have strength... I have to be able to stand up, even in the bleakest of circumstances... this pain is nothing, nothing but all my weakness floating away... I will NOT let Flarinsa destroy me, or my friends! I've got to rise up... I have to get back to Trunks... I HAVE TO WIN!"_

Without even realizing she was now back on her feet, Sailor Mercury clenched her fists and began to gather her energies once more. As her magical energy aura began to glow stronger and brighter, the flaming arrow embedded in her chest disappeared, and the flames surrounding her body faded away. The other Senshi, still on the ground with the arrows in their chests, looked up at Sailor Mercury in amazement. She looked back at all of them, her determined eyes relaying the same message to each and every one of her friends.

__

"Focus your energy... fight this... you can beat it!"

As if on cue, the Senshi all began to concentrate their energy. Even Sailor Venus, who had been badly injured by Flarinsa's last attack, was now overcome with determination, her pain replaced with the incredible strength and energy she was gathering, just like Sailor Mercury had done before. Within seconds, all of the Senshi were on their feet, all glowing brilliantly with magical energy, their painful fire arrows completely eradicated. Flarinsa stared at them in disbelief, before tossing dozens of large fireballs their way. As the fireballs drew closer to the Senshi, they suddenly disintegrated, as if an invisible forcefield was surrounding the Senshi, not letting any of the fireballs get closer. The Senshi stood in a circle and clasped hands, focusing their energies to a single point, just above their heads.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Flarinsa screamed, her entire body engulfed in flames. "How DARE you stand up after that attack! How dare you rise against me! How dare you-"

"SAILOR PLANET POWER!" shouted all five Senshi, sending a gigantic beam of solid white energy barreling toward Flarinsa. The beam slammed into her and immediately disintegrated her before exploding in a brilliant flash of white light and a shockwave that knocked all of the Senshi to the ground, flat on their backs. When the light disappeared, all the Senshi could do was glance up at the ceiling, exhausted from the incredible battle. Flarinsa was gone, forever destroyed by the Senshi's incredible magic.

"We got her..." Sailor Moon whispered as she slowly began to regain the strength to stand. "What an attack..."

__

"Thank you, Trunks... wherever you are, you will always be with me... and I will always be with you... you were with me in this fight, and now I wish to be with you in yours... please draw on my strength... we need each other, Trunks..."

Sailor Mercury smiled, not only for her friends, not only for herself, but for Trunks... if she could win her fight with Flarinsa, he could win his fight as well.

---

And Trunks was winning, but not by very much. His blows were quite effective against Nikashi, but something was wrong. He didn't seem to be inflicting very much damage, and though he was hurting her more than she was hurting him, he had hit her probably three times as much.

"Your stamina is incredible," Trunks said as he clenched his fists, preparing to deal Nikashi another series of attacks. "But I've fought tough enemies before, and you're just another one of those people who have tried to beat me, but have failed. I'm not just fighting for myself, I'm fighting for the people I love!"

"Yawn," said Nikashi, putting her hand up to her mouth to simulate yawning. "I'm getting really tired of your Super Saiyan ego, you know that?"

__

"I've got my father to thank for that," Trunks thought, slightly annoyed at himself. _"I've got to focus on this battle... what's wrong with me? I just hope Ami's alright..."_

The sharp sting of Nikashi's whip across his chest quickly brought Trunks back down to earth, as his hand flew to the site of the wound. He could feel the familiar wetness of blood, seeping through his fingers as his hand covered the large, long gash. Ignoring the pain, he pointed his arms at Nikashi, firing yet another ki blast at her. She simply smiled and cracked her whip, its deadly lash cutting the blast in two, sending the two halves flying harmlessly behind her and into the wall. Trunks flew at Nikashi and leapt behind her, pulling back his hands and focusing as much energy as he could into one huge blast.

__

"Let's see how she likes this..." Trunks thought."Ka...me...ha...me...HA!!!!"

Nikashi gasped as a huge beam of blue ki rushed forth from Trunks' hand, too quickly for her to dodge or block.

"What in the...... aaaaaaaaah!" Nikashi screamed, just a split-second before the huge wave of ki engulfed her body.

---

And it ends there! Well, this chapter, anyway. It looks like Trunks is finally ready to finish Nikashi off! But is she finished? And will Cammy beat Patrick? All those questions will be answered next chapter, so keep reading, I'll have it out in a few days!


	12. Desperation

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: True, Patrick is evil... Cammy's really nice, though... maybe she'll see it in the goodness of her heart to forgive him! Once he's dead, of course. And there might be more to Trunks vs. Nikashi than you think....

Erica: Ehm... ;;; glad you like the story! It's not really a Trunks torture fic, though. It's just a fic where Trunks happens to get tortured. You, uh... like Trunks, right? Just checking...

Nickeywhite2: You waited, and now the next chapter is here! Hope you enjoy it!

GracedAngel1854: Cammy will get even more revenge in this chapter... glad you enjoy it!

MWD: Well, less than a week... that's soon enough, right?

---

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The blast seared every inch of Nikashi's body, from head to toe. Her magical aura flared up just as the wave of ki hit, and now it was the only layer of protection she had against the immense surge of energy. As blast continued to surge past Nikashi, she raised her arms in front of her face, allowing them to take the brunt of Trunks' Kamehameha as it engulfed her slender frame. Finally, the blast charged past Nikashi and dissipated harmlessly behind her. When Trunks focused on Nikashi again, his mouth opened wide with shock. Though Nikashi had been severely burned by the blast, she was still alive, her leather outfit was completely intact, and incredibly, she was still standing. She looked up at Trunks, her knees shaking, her eyes fixated on his, her mind filling with rage.

"How... how dare you... use an attack like that... on me!" Nikashi shrieked, pointing her arms at Trunks and firing off four narrow red energy disks that sliced past Trunks, gashing his arms and side as they flew past. He winced from the pain of the attack, giving Nikashi time to leap at Trunks and kick him hard in the face, knocking him back. Trunks shook off the kick and flew at Nikashi, responding to her kick with a deadly punch that impacted Nikashi's nose and sent her flying back into her own red barrier, still intact in the center of the room. He then pointed his arm at Nikashi and fired a flurry of ki blasts, all of which slammed in to her, creating a large explosion. He continued his rain of blasts for several seconds before Nikashi suddenly flew out of the cloud of smoke, fire, and ki, her whip clutched in her hand. She lashed it out at Trunks and hit him in the upper leg, scourging the flesh from his calf and knocking him down to one knee. She then smacked him with the whip again, this time just below his right eye, creating another large, bleeding wound. She ran at Trunks and swung the whip at him a third time. This time, however, Trunks was ready. Still on one knee, he grabbed the tip of the whip in his hand, stopping Nikashi cold in her tracks.

"I don't know what you freaks are planning to do to me," Trunks said, slowly rising to his feet. "But whatever it is, I'm not going to let it happen!"

Trunks began to yell a loud battle cry, sending a huge wave of ki surging outward from his body. When the wave hit Nikashi, it knocked the whip out of her hand and blasted her back into the barrier again. She let out a loud, pained shriek as her spine slammed into the powerful magical barrier, her body paralyzed for a brief moment from the impact. As Trunks felt the magical energy strand that had been Nikashi's whip disappear from his hand, he felt a stinging pain on its palm. Looking down to inspect the wound, he saw blood dripping from a large gash cut across the inside of his hand when he grabbed the tip of the whip. He looked back to Nikashi with contempt as she struggled to stand from Trunks' latest attack.

"If you give up now, maybe I'll let you go if you promise never to attack the Earth again," Trunks said, appealing to Nikashi as he saw the pain in her eyes and felt a small twinge of sympathy. _"But then they'd just terrorize another part of the galaxy... still, maybe she's as weary of this fighting as I am..."_

But Nikashi simply scowled at Trunks, the expression on her face rejecting his offer. Still, Trunks knew he'd tried.

__

"Better finish her off quick..." Trunks thought, wiping a bit of blood away from his face with his wounded hand. _"Don't know how long I can keep this up... her energy's fading fast, so I must be getting pretty close now... Frieza didn't put up nearly as tough a fight as this..."_

---

Watching the battle from a surveillance room safe in the space station's core, Sunzeki was quickly tiring of what he knew to be a futile struggle.

"She's going to die, and you know it," Sunzeki said. "This is your chance, Pandemonium. Get in there and take him. He's weak, he'll be easy to-"

"I have a better idea," replied Pandemonium, walking over to a large control panel that had been placed up against a side wall. He looked down at the various buttons and controls until he found the button he wanted, a large, red one. "Perhaps it's better to destroy his friends, first... they're still inside one of the outer chambers of the station, along with the half-Saiyan. He can survive the crash... they can't."

"So you're going to waste time destroying the Senshi and those girls?" Sunzeki asked. "What about your four best soldiers? Aren't they in that area as well?"

"Three of them are dead, and one is badly injured," said Pandemonium, his finger tantalizingly close to the button. "The last one is of no use to me anymore... he's the reason this station was attacked in the first place. This is a battleship, not a sex dungeon."

"It's no skin off my nose what happens to any of you," Sunzeki said casually. "I'm just here to make sure the boss gets what he wants."

"You'll get the half-Saiyan, I assure you," said Pandemonium. "But for now, I'm going to send his friends crashing down to their precious planet."

---

Cammy's blasts battered Patrick, knocking him down to the floor of the room once more. As Cammy rushed to finish him off, he blasted her with another shot of icy mist, stinging her with immense cold and blowing her back to the edge of the room. Patrick slowly got to his feet and raised his palm again, sending hundreds of tiny icicles rushing at the stunned green-haired girl. Cammy spotted the icicles just in time, leaping away and avoiding most of them, though several still managed to slice her skin as they flew past her and embedded themselves in the wall. As Cammy picked herself up off of the ground, she could see a smiling Patrick readying himself to make another attack.

__

"This is unreal," Cammy thought solemnly as Patrick's hands became engulfed in light blue spheres of magical energy. _"He's got so much endurance... it's almost impossible to beat him!"_

Suddenly, two large, wide, blue beams rushed at Cammy simultaneously, engulfing the entire lower part of her body, all the way up to her neck. She screamed as she felt the cold sting of the beams, which quickly encased her entire body in a thick block of ice, leaving only her head exposed. Her teeth began to chatter, and her body shivered inside its icy prison as Patrick slowly made his way toward her.

"Don't be afraid, my dear," said Patrick, stroking his hand across the side of Cammy's face. A tear fell from her eye, freezing immediately as it hit the icy block just below Cammy's neck. "My goodness, tears of ice... you're my little ice sculpture, you know that?"

Cammy tried to speak, but could only muster a few more sobs, her lip quivering as more tears fell down her cheek and onto the block of ice.

__

"No... no... no... dammit, he's got me trapped again! I already got away from him once... it's not fair!" Cammy thought, looking up at Patrick, her rage beginning to build. _"That does it... I'm going to show him... he's going to pay.... he's going to PAY!"_

Cammy clenched her teeth, and suddenly, her energy aura exploded, shattering the ice around her body and sending shards and blocks of it showering upon Patrick, battering and slashing his body as they flew past. As he fell to the ground, he could feel a glowing green energy chain wrapping around him, pinning his arms to his sides before finally allowing his bound body to fall to the floor. Within seconds, the tip of Cammy's foot was pressed into Patrick's neck, her boot slowly crushing his windpipe.

"How does it feel, hmm?" Cammy shouted angrily, even as streams of tears flowed freely from her eyes. "This is EXACTLY how I felt, you son of a bitch! You made me a victim, and I'm going to do the same to you!"

Patrick could say nothing with the tip of Cammy's boot pressed against his throat. All he could do was look up into Cammy's bright green eyes and see all the emotions displayed on her face; the fear, the sadness, the anger, the despair... and it was at that moment that Patrick remembered the only nice thing that Cammy had said to him, as she was still trapped in the darkness of her captivity.

---

"You... you never had the chance... to live for yourself... have you?" Cammy said. Patrick looked up into her eyes.

"Of course I have," replied Patrick. "I've living for myself right now."

"No," Cammy breathed, "you're not. All your life, you've been forced into this evil, forced by people stronger than you, by things out of your control... I know that feeling, Patrick, I can understand-"

---

She'd tried to get him to sympathize with her... or sympathize with him, he didn't know... and he had just silenced her for it. Now, maybe... was there a chance... he could have been horribly wrong in hurting her? His expression softened, his anger melted away, his eyes widened. What was this feeling?

"Cammy... I-" Patrick barely managed to choke out before a huge explosion rocked the room, sending Cammy tumbling hard to the floor. A large chunk of the ceiling fell between Patrick and herself, shattering and narrowly missing them both. As Cammy rose to her feet, the room began to flash bright red, and a loud voice began emanating through the room's ceiling speakers.

"Warning, warning," came the voice, "Spoke 5 has just been detached from the station and is plummeting toward the nearby planet. All authorized personnel must evacuate immediately."

Cammy gasped, looked briefly over at Patrick, and then ran out of the room. Before she reached the exit, she looked at him again, for the last time. He lay on the ground, his torso still wrapped in her magical energy chains. His body was barely moving, and small chunks of the room's ceiling had begun falling all around him.

__

"He's helpless... he's finally going to die," Cammy thought, smirking for a brief second. _"Wait... I can't leave him like that, can I? Cammy, what are you thinking, you have to... no, I can't stoop to his level. I really should leave him... I can't leave him helpless!"_

Turning back, Cammy ran over to Patrick and dissolved the chains around him with a wave of her hand. Then, she began to run out of the room again.

"Follow me if you want to live!" Cammy shouted back to him. Patrick looked up at Cammy, not moving from the ground. His face reflected both contempt and surprise.

"Why are you... helping me?" Patrick groaned weakly. "Get out of here, damn you... I don't need your help..."

When Patrick didn't get up, Cammy groaned and walked over to him, extending her hand toward him.

__

"I REALLY shouldn't be doing this..." Cammy thought. "Can you stand?"

As Patrick slowly tried to get up, he groaned in pain and clutched his ankle. Angered, Cammy grabbed Patrick's wrist and pulled him quickly to his feet.

"I don't deserve your help," Patrick said, barely loud enough for Cammy to hear. "Get the hell out of here!"

"Listen, asshole, you're coming with me whether you like it or not," Cammy said. More chunks of the ceiling fell into the room, and the door was beginning to get blocked. The sirens got louder and louder, and Cammy grew more and more annoyed. "I'm going to show you just the kind of girl that you hurt today! She's sweet, and caring, and... oh, just come on!"

Seizing Patrick's wrist, Cammy pulled both him and herself out of the room. Just as they made it outside, the entire ceiling collapsed, filling the room with debris. Cammy released Patrick and began fleeing down the hallway, turning her head back to yell something at him.

"You're on your own now!" yelled Cammy, dashing down the hall. "And if you do make it out alive, I never want to see you again, you big jerk!"

Patrick stood stunned in front of the doorway for a few seconds, shooting a ponderous gaze toward the green-haired girl as she continued to run down the hall, slowed only slightly by the wounds she'd sustained in their battle.

__

"Why in the world did she help me?" Patrick thought, glancing at Cammy. _"Is she a fool? Or have I just underestimated her..."_

---

Meanwhile, the Senshi had heard the sirens and the explosion as well, and were now left frantically wondering what to do next.

"We've got to find Trunks!" Sailor Mercury shouted desperately. "Trunks can't teleport out of here like we can!"

"But if this big, huge thing crashes to Earth, he'll probably survive," Sailor Moon replied. "We definitely won't!"

"What about Juuban?" Sailor Mars asked. "If we don't stop this thing, it'll be crushed!""And we have to find Rose, Angela, and Cammy!" Sailor Venus shouted. "We-"

"One at a time," Sailor Moon said quietly, trying to calm her fellow Senshi down. "Sailor Venus is right... we have to find the other girls first... then we can worry about Trunks."

__

"He'll be fine," Sailor Mercury thought, though she still worried greatly. _"He's powerful enough to survive a huge crush... I have to think of our other friends first... I just hope they're okay... I know you are, Trunks..."_

---

Rose and Angela had felt the huge explosion as soon as they'd climbed out of the elevator. It collapsed as soon as the explosion had happened, and the girls soon realized that they'd been lucky to get out alive.

"We've got to get to Cammy," Rose said, and Angela quickly nodded in agreement.

"Then we try to find the Senshi," Angela replied. The two girls began running as fast as they could, trying to find the room where Cammy had been fighting Patrick. When they got near it, all they could see was a rubble-filled hallway blocking their path.

"Oh no..." Angela gasped, her hands immediately flying to her mouth. "Cammy... she's been... she's been..."

"We're not even sure if this is the room where-"

"It IS the room!" Angela shouted, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "Oh my God, she-"

"Maybe she got out, have you thought of that?" Rose said, looking back and forth between Angela and the huge mound of rubble. "Yes... she definitely got out! I can feel it!"

"But what about that guy.... Patrick, what about him?" Angela shouted. "What if he wouldn't let her out? What if he-"

"Rose, Angela!" shouted Sailor Moon's voice from behind the two girls. They turned around to see the five Senshi, quickly running toward them.

"Thank goodness we found you!" Sailor Mercury said, relieved. "We thought something had happened to you..."

"You... haven't found Cammy yet?" Sailor Jupiter asked, a concerned look on her face. "Damn, that must mean she's still-"

"We did find her, actually," Rose said. "She was tied up in one of the rooms... we freed her, but then when we found Patrick she wanted to fight him by herself..."

"And now we think she might have been crushed!" Angela shouted, tears coming down one side of her face.

"That's terrible!" Sailor Mars gasped. "Are you sure?"

"I think she beat Patrick and got away," replied Rose. "Cammy's a lot tougher and smarter than she looks... it probably only took her a few minutes to lay the smackdown on Patrick."

"Well, wherever she is, we should probably try to find her before we get out of here," Sailor Moon said. "And then we should go find Trunks."

Sailor Mercury wanted to object, still deathly afraid that something had happened to Trunks. But she didn't speak, because she knew that the Senshi would need her for the Sailor Teleport once they found Cammy. She wanted to find Trunks before they teleported, though... she knew he could survive if part of the station crashed into Juuban, but she knew that he might be the only one that could stop the station in the first place. She just hoped the Senshi could find Cammy fast so that she could begin to look for Trunks... she knew that her home desperately needed his help.

---

The room that Trunks and Nikashi were in had begun to collapse as well, but Nikashi's barrier held fast, still trapping Trunks in the makeshift battleground.

"That's too bad that this place is going to hit the Earth," Nikashi said tauntingly, standing in front of the barrier with a newly-formed energy whip in her hand. "We'll both live, but all your stupid friends are going to die... including that bitch Sailor Mercury!"

"Don't EVER call Ami that again!" Trunks shouted, pointing his hand at Nikashi and pressing her against the barrier with a powerful wave of ki. "I'm going to destroy this barrier, and then I'm going to destroy you, and then I'm going to go and rescue Ami!"

"Fat.... chance.... cutie..." Nikashi said, still smiling even as her body began to be crushed against the barrier. "Like I said... she'll die... and you'll have no one left... but don't be too sad... you'll still have me!"

"DIE!" Trunks shouted, blasting Nikashi in the chest with a ball of ki. As the ki flew at Nikashi, her body began to glow bright red with energy, and the ball stopped inches in front of her chest. Then, with just a blink from Nikashi, the blast flew back and slammed into Trunks, exploding against his chest and knocking him back several feet, causing his ki aura to shrink and causing the ki pressing up against Nikashi to disappear, allowing her to gently step forward from the barrier. She cracked her whip at Trunks again, but instead of allowing himself to be hit, he leaped up and flew at Nikashi, his head slamming up against her chest and crushing her against the barrier yet again. She let out a quick shriek that soon faded away as Trunks' head slowly began to crush her windpipe.

"Damn... you..." Nikashi gasped as Trunks continued to press her against the barrier.

"First your spine will shatter...." Trunks said through gritted teeth. "Then your lungs will burst.... and you'll die a slow, painful death, unable to move, unable to breathe... your magic won't be able to heal you fast enough... you'll just curl up into a ball and-"

Nikashi blinked her eyes, causing the barrier to disappear. Trunks' momentum carried both of them forward, slamming Nikashi's back into the wall and making a huge dent that was intensified by the continued deterioration of the room. Trunks leapt off of Nikashi and stood a short distance away as she slid painfully to the floor, clutching both arms across her chest and gasping in pain. Her magical energy aura had completely diminished. Trunks pointed his hand at Nikashi and began charging a ki blast.

"I gave you your chance," said Trunks, electricity and ki sparking about his body as his brilliant golden aura surged brighter than ever. "This is for keeping me from my love."

Suddenly, Trunks could feel a painful slash across his face, just above both of his eyes. His hands flew to his forehead, which was rapidly dripping blood. Nikashi smiled and stood up, her whip still clutched in her right hand.

"Until we meet again, Trunks...." whispered Nikashi, running out of the room as Trunks' hands slowly slid off of his face. When he could see again, Nikashi was gone, leaving Trunks and the rapidly collapsing room in her wake.

"Dammit!" Trunks shouted, his fists clenched. "When I see her again, I'm going to-"

__

"Trunks, can you hear me?" Ami's voice suddenly rang in Trunks' head.

__

"Yes, Ami, I can... are you alright? It's been a while..." Trunks thought back to her, giving a sigh of relief as he wiped both sweat and blood from his brow.

__

"I'm fine," thought Ami. _"How about you? We can communicate again, which is good, because now I know I'm getting closer to you... this place is about to collapse, Trunks! I'm with all of the others... well, except for Cammy, of course... we're looking for her right now, but if you want, I can go to you..."_

"Stay with your friends, you'll need to be together to teleport out of here. I'm doing well, although I am hurt just a little... remind me never to buy you a whip for your birthday."

Trunks could hear Ami giggling slightly in her thoughts to him, although her tone quickly returned to a more serious one.

__

"I'm so glad you're alright, Trunks... I love you so much..."

"I love you too, Ami. Don't worry... you keep looking for Cammy, I'll come to you, alright?"

"That'll be fine, Trunks... are you sure you can find us? Our magical energy is weak right now, since we've all been fighting... I'm not sure you can sense us. We're just a few corridors away, but we've been moving pretty quickly trying to find Cammy... her sisters were able to free her, but she's been fighting Patrick, and-"

"Don't worry, Ami, I'll find you... I promise."

---

Cammy continued running, trying to find some way, any way to escape the collapsing section of the space station that was on a collision course for Earth. She didn't know where her sisters or her friends had come in from, or even where the space pods were that people she'd seen running around had been using to evacuate. She tried following a group of them, but stopped cold in her tracks when she saw a large chunk of the ceiling come down and crush all of them. She'd tried to heal them, but they had all been killed. Now, she was running again, looking over her shoulder every few seconds just in case Patrick had been following her out. Finally, she reached a large, metal door that she immediately identified as the door leading to the escape pods. When she opened it, she realized that most of the pods were gone, though there were still a few remaining, and Cammy was able to quickly spot a pod she could use to escape. She was on an elevated platform facing a large wall filled with pods below, and there were several flights of stairs leading down to the pod access area. As she began descending the stairs, she heard a loud cry of pain from just outside the room.

"That sounds like...." Cammy began, exiting the hangar and looking out into the hall. Patrick was lying just a few feet from the door, his body crushed beneath a large chunk of metal. He was unconscious, and Cammy would have mistaken him for dead had she not sensed the small pulsation of energy coming from his body. _"Serves him right..."_

Cammy started to enter the hangar again, but stopped just short and turned around again.

__

"He's just lying there... helpless... he's going to die," Cammy thought, beginning to feel a twinge of sympathy. _"Oh no, here I go again... Cammy, you can't seriously help this guy! Not after he hurt you... not after he tried to rape you... but... I can't just let him die... can I?"_

---

"Guys, if our ship is still where we left it, we won't have to worry about teleporting!" Sailor Mercury said as the Senshi, Rose, and Angela continued to search for Cammy. "And besides.... are you sure we really have the energy to teleport?"

"I hope we do," said Sailor Venus. "All we can do right now is hope, you guys..."

"And we still need to find Cammy," Angela said. "We can worry about the ship later..."

"We should still check to see if it hasn't been crushed or something," Sailor Moon said. "It won't take that long... we're not too far away... we can still go check!"

The seven girls turned around and ran down a series of corridors and hallways before finally reaching the large room where they had left their capsule ship. Sure enough, it was still in its place in the center of the room, which had been damaged only lightly by the explosion. The ship hadn't been hit by any debris, and was still remarkably intact, to the Senshi, Rose, and Angela's great relief.

"Well, it's still there," said Sailor Moon, walking over to the ship and closely inspecting it. "I... I think it still works..."

"We've got to find Cammy before we go anywhere!" Angela shouted. "We-"

"They know, Angela," Rose said, briefly hugging her sister. "We'd better find her quickly, though..."

"It wouldn't work," said a male voice just outside the room. "I'm going to have to get to Earth BEFORE this floating hunk of scrap if I'm going to destroy it. You girls will need to teleport... we'll just have to leave mom's ship here."

Sailor Mercury was the first to turn around, followed by the other Senshi, and then Rose and Angela. Mercury knew immediately who it was, running toward the left entrance of the room and tightly wrapping her arms around Trunks, who was standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. He had detransformed back into his regular Saiyan state, and as Sailor Mercury hugged Trunks, she could sense that he had been injured even worse than she had thought.

"Trunks, I'm so glad to see you again..." Sailor Mercury said, her words muffled as she pressed her face into Trunks' shoulder. "I love you..."

Trunks noticed the many small injuries on Sailor Mercury's body, as well as the injuries on the other girls. He began to say something, but instead decided to kiss Sailor Mercury on the cheek and tighten his embrace. He knew she already knew she was hurt, and she knew the same. They were both alive and together again, and that's all that mattered.

"Now we need to go find Cammy," Sailor Moon said. "Trunks, I'm glad you're alright."

Trunks nodded, gently releasing his embrace on Sailor Mercury.

"I'm going to get my teleportation wand out of the ship," said Trunks, floating down and retrieving it from the inside of the capsule ship, and then returning to Sailor Mercury's side. "Obviously we can't use it to escape, since it would just take us back to my dimension, where we couldn't stop this thing from hitting Juuban. So we'll need to find Cammy and teleport out of here, or-"

Suddenly, a loud warning siren went off, causing everyone in the room to look up, toward the speakers planted in the ceiling.

"Five minutes until impact," said a loud voice, causing everyone, even Trunks, to gasp loudly. "Five minutes until planetary impact."

"No..." Sailor Moon said silently, her quivering hand to her lips. "We're going to hit Juuban in five minutes..."

"We've got to go, now," said Trunks, turning to Sailor Moon. "We need to teleport to Juuban so I can-"

"NO!" Angela screamed, grabbing Trunks by the arms. "We're not going anywhere until we get Cammy back!"

"We won't find her in five minutes," Trunks replied, a sad look on his face. "Besides... Cammy might have gotten out..."

"Trunks, we can't just leave Cammy here," Sailor Mercury said. "If we teleport before she's with us, she'll be trapped here... you'll be blasting her as well as this space station!"

"But if we don't leave now, we'll hit Juuban, and our friends and family will be killed!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Maybe Trunks is right, maybe we should-"

"Four minutes until planetary impact. Four minutes until planetary impact."

"We have to go, right now," said Trunks, gently taking Sailor Mercury's hand. "Let's use the Sailor Teleport."

"Trunks, don't you even care that our sister is still trapped up here?" Rose shouted frantically. She turned to Angela, who had tears streaking down her face.

"Let's just look for her a couple more minutes! We can find her!" Angela sobbed. "Please, we can't leave Cammy..."

__

"And we can't let our families be killed either," Sailor Mercury thought, looking up at Trunks. _"Cammy may have already escaped... but if we let this thing hit Juuban, we'll all be killed, even her... not Trunks, but... all of my friends, my family..."_

"As much as I hate to do this... Trunks is right," Sailor Moon said, joining hands with Trunks and extending her other hand to the remaining Senshi. "We've got to teleport out of here so that Trunks can destroy this thing before it destroys Juuban!"

"No!" Angela screamed at the top of her lungs. "I won't let you! We have to go back in and save Cammy!"

Before Angela could leave, Sailor Venus grabbed her and pulled her into the circle. Rose was grabbed and pulled into the circle as well.

"CAMMY! NO!" Rose shouted, trying to force her way out of the circle. "WE CAN'T LEAVE HER!"

"Three minutes until planetary impact."

"Sailor Teleport!"

"CAMMY!!!"

---

"Damn, you're heavy..." Cammy groaned, straining to pull a still-unconscious Patrick into one of the space pods. Once both of them were inside, she closed the pod and began looking at the control panel near the front of the small vessel. "Let's see here... which button will get us out of here... ah, here it is! 'Deploy!'

Cammy pressed a large red button in the center of the panel, launching the space pod out into space, away from the large spoke of the space station. As it began to orbit Earth, Cammy could see the huge, spike-shaped piece of metal that used to be a large section of the station plummeting toward the earth, beginning to burn away in the atmosphere as it fell.

"I hope the others got out okay..." Cammy said quietly, helplessly watching the huge spoke fall rapidly toward her home. "Who's going to stop that thing?"

---

Back on Earth, the Senshi, Trunks, Rose, and Angela had teleported back to the top of the roof where their capsule had been. The sun was just setting when they had left, and it was now nearly midnight upon their return.

"We're back," said Trunks, looking up into the sky. "Up there... look!"

The Senshi all looked up to see a brilliant white fireball rapidly streaking through the sky, drawing nearer and nearer, seemingly growing in size as it rushed toward them.

"That must be it," said Sailor Moon, pointing up at the fireball.

"Trunks, hurry!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Before it destroys Juuban!"

Trunks nodded and pointed his hand at the object, gathering a large amount of ki in his palm. Before he could release the blast, Angela ran toward him, grabbing his arm and pulling it down.

"You can't!" Angela screamed through intense sobs. "Cammy! You'll disintegrate Cammy! You can't do that!"

"Angela, let him... let him... we have to let him do this," Rose said, gently pulling Angela back, even as her own face became stained with tears. _"Oh, Cammy.... please, please be off of that thing... please have found some way to make it back to Juuban..."_

"NO!" Angela screamed, trying to break free from her sister's grasp. "NO!!!"

__

"If you're in there, Cammy... forgive me..." Trunks thought, firing as powerful a blast as he could muster at the huge white fireball. The ki blast soared out into space, hitting the huge chunk of metal and destroying it on impact, detonating in a huge, white fireball that filled a large portion of the sky.

__

"Cammy..." thought Rose as she cradled her sobbing sister in her arms, while blinking tears away from her own eyes. _"No..."_

The Senshi stared out into space for a few seconds, not celebrating, knowing that Cammy was still somewhere out there... or maybe vaporized by Trunks' attack. None of them knew, and all of them began to feel an intense sorrow, brought about by their dear friend's apparent demise.

"We went in there... to save her," Sailor Jupiter said, "and yet she's the only one that... that didn't-"

"Don't say that!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Trunks... you said... that Cammy got away, right?"

For a second, Trunks didn't reply, still staring silently up into space. Then, he turned to Sailor Mercury.

"Ami, I... I just don't know that for sure," Trunks said. "I just wish that-"

"Wishing won't bring Cammy back!" shouted Angela, running over to Trunks and pointing her finger in his face. "And you're going to have to live for the rest of your life with that fact that you're the one who killed her! You killed Cammy, Trunks! You-"

Suddenly, a faint sparkle appeared in the sky, directly above the roof of the building. As the Senshi, Trunks, Rose, and Angela looked up, they could see a small sphere descending toward them, getting larger and larger as it approached the building. It slowed down and floated down to the roof, as Trunks and the others quickly stepped out in the way.

"What in the world...?" said Sailor Moon as she stared at the small, metallic metal sphere. "It looks like some kind of space.... pod...."

The end of Sailor Moon's sentence was slowed as the door of the space pod opened, but no one saw who was inside until Cammy stepped out, carrying the unconscious body of Patrick in her arms. Angela and Rose both rushed forward to embrace Cammy, but she shook her head, stopping them in her tracks. She glanced down toward Patrick for a brief moment before looking up at her sisters again.

"Is he... dead?" Rose asked curiously. When Cammy shook her head, her sisters could not have been more shocked.

"Welcome home, Cammy," said Sailor Mercury, smiling at her. _"Thank goodness you're alright, but... why did you let Patrick live?"_

"It seems you and Cammy have one very important quality in common," Trunks thought to her. _"Beautiful kindness and unwavering mercy."_

"I don't even think I would have spared Patrick," Sailor Mercury thought. _"What could have happened up there?"_

---

Yes... why DID Patrick survive this chapter? Well, maybe now he'll see the light... or Cammy's fist, if he ever acts like a jerk again. More story next chapter!


	13. The Day After Tomorrow

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Sonar de mercury: You'll have to wait a while... the end won't be for 9 more chapters! Glad you enjoy the first twelve!

Erica: I understand... you're not crazy, don't worry! You scared poor Trunks something silly, though.

Zyppora: You're darn right Nikashi's alive... and I planned all along to have Cammy save Patrick. She's so nice... well, I wrote her to be, anyway.

MWD: Heh, Patrick's gonna have to be a lot nicer to Cammy from now on. Glad you like it!

GracedAngel1854: A lot of people would have killed Patrick, probably. You're entitled to your opinion!

---

"Trunks, this is probably going to sting... a lot. But remember, we have to get those cuts cleaned."

"I know, Ami... I'm ready."

Trunks gritted his teeth as Ami began rubbing countless amounts of peroxide into the various flesh wounds he had sustained on his body during his earlier fight with Nikashi. Sitting on a metal bench in Bulma's basement and stripped down to his boxers, Trunks couldn't help but notice Ami smiling at him as she diligently treated his injuries. A sharp intake of breath from Trunks caused Ami to stop what she was doing and set the bottle of peroxide on the bench, her smile disappearing as she realized Trunks was in pain.

"I'm alright, Ami, keep going," Trunks said, quietly urging Ami to continue cleaning his wounds. "Damn.... should have taken that last Senzu Bean while I had the chance... but you guys needed it more."

"I still feel a little guilty about not letting you have it," Ami said, resuming her peroxide treatments to Trunks' body. "Maybe we should have just split it in half, and-"

"No, that's alright, Ami... I wouldn't have accepted it anyway... but thank you," Trunks said. As soon as he had finished his sentence, he leaned upward and gave Ami a quick and gentle kiss on the lips, causing her to blush ever so slightly as she continued applying the peroxide. A few minutes later, Bulma walked down the steps and entered the basement just as Ami was beginning to bandage Trunks' wounds.

"I see you two are getting along quite nicely down here," Bulma said, her arms crossed over her chest as a sly smile appeared on her face. "Now that I think about it, maybe I should have cleaned Trunks' injuries myself."

"But Ami's going to be a doctor, mom," Trunks said, as Ami wrapped gauze around his right hand. "She needs experience at this sort of thing."

"Anyone can rub alcohol on an injured person," Bulma replied. "Besides, I've talked to Ami's mother, and I'm not sure she'd approve of her daughter's hands being all over a half-naked boy's back."

Ami and Trunks both laughed for a second, after which Ami resumed bandaging Trunks' wounds.

"I just hope I don't have to go back into battle anytime soon," Trunks said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "My body aches all over..."

"You fought really hard today, Trunks, and I think you've earned your rest..." Ami replied, gently patching medical tape over a large cut on Trunks' back. "There, you should be all patched up now, Trunks... I just hope the pain goes away soon."

"I'm sure it will, Ami," Trunks said, standing up from the table and stretching his arms up into the air. "You know, I'm starting to feel better already..."

"Well, that's good, Trunks," Bulma said, walking back toward the basement stairs. "I'm going to go check and see how all your friends are doing... that unconscious young man that Cammy brought in woke up a little while ago. I remember him... he's one of the people that came in and kidnapped me a few days ago..."

"How is he?" Ami asked, slightly curious about Patrick's condition. "He's being watched, isn't he?"

"Rose and Angela have been in the room with him the whole time," Bulma said. "Cammy hasn't gone in yet... she just set him down on the bed and left the room. She's talking with Serena and Rei right now, I think. Would you two like to talk to-"

"No, that's okay," Trunks said, glancing over at Ami and smiling. "I think we'll stay down here a little while longer... if that's alright with you, Ami...."

"Yes, of course it is!" said Ami, smiling while rapidly nodding her head. "We'll be up in just a few minutes!"

"Okay then, I'll leave the light on for you..." Bulma said with a slight giggle. "And Trunks, put these on, right this minute!"

Bulma grabbed a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans from a nearby table and tossed them over to Trunks, who caught them in his hand. He gave Bulma a quizzical look for a few seconds, and Bulma's smile quickly turned into a frown.

"I'm serious," she said, glaring at him and walking up the stairs. Trunks quickly put on the clothes his mother had given him, while Ami giggled the entire time.

"She didn't really think we..." Trunks began. Ami raised her hand in front of Trunks' face, still giggling, her head turned away from him.

"I'm sure she didn't, Trunks... but then again, she did say it didn't take long for her and Vegeta to-"

"Ami!"

---

Upstairs in Ami's guest room, which had been converted into a makeshift infirmary for the Briefs' surprise visitor, Patrick lay on the bed, hooked up to several medical devices, some of them the exact same ones used to heal Bulma after she had been attacked by Frieza eight months before. His eyes were wide open, staring up at Rose and Angela, who had pulled up chairs next to the bed to keep a close watch on him.

"I'm not going to ask you why, because I already know why. You're a sick pervert who doesn't deserve all of the help we're giving you," said Rose, an angry look on her face. "And yet Cammy, the very girl you tortured and tried to rape, somehow found it in the goodness of her heart to forgive you and bring you all the way here."

"She's our sister!" Angela shouted, with a look on her face that indicated that tears were about to come out of her eyes. "She's the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful girl, who would never hurt ANYBODY! And yet you prey on her innocence like some sick... some sick... monster! I'd use different words than that, but my mother would never forgive me for using that kind of language!"

"Go ahead," Patrick said, his voice inconsistent, at times his normal, strong tone, at other times a weak, pained whisper. "She's not here."

"She'd know," Angela replied, her own voice never faltering. "Somehow, she'd know."

"Cammy's the one who tattles, not me," Rose said, looking over at Angela, a slight grin appearing on her face. "If you want to cuss him out, go ahead... make sure Cammy doesn't hear, though."

"She's.... a really good girl, isn't she?" Patrick asked, his tone changing from apathetic to curious in a matter of seconds.

"That's right," Angela replied, "as if you even care. She'd never do the kind of stuff you were trying to make her do, you sick bastard!"

"I just... I'm just trying to figure out why she saved my life, that's all," Patrick said, staring up at the ceiling. "After everything I did to her... why... how did she-"

"We already told you," Rose said. "Because she's kind, and sweet, and a much better person than you'll ever be!"

"I know that already," replied Patrick. "But... how could she... how could anyone, after being put through what she was put through, see enough good in a person to save the life of the person that tormented them? What could I possibly have done to indicate that I... that my life is worth saving at all?"

"I'll answer that," Cammy said quietly, walking into the room. Rose and Angela stood up and turned toward their younger sister, who walked past them and sat down at the side of the bed, in the chair that had once been occupied by Rose, near the front of the bed.

"Do you... want to be alone?" Rose asked.

"Yes, please..." Cammy replied, looking over at her two sisters. "Just for a little while. After I finish talking to Patrick we should probably get home... our parents are probably worried sick about us."

"Be careful, Cammy," Angela said quietly. "Even though he's hurt, Patrick might still be very dangerous!"

"I'll be fine," Cammy replied.

"We should go," Rose said, gently taking her sister by the hand and leading her out of the room, leaving Cammy alone at Patrick's side. As her eyes met his, Patrick's lip began to quiver, and Cammy could see it very clearly as she stared down at his bruised and bandaged face.

"When my sisters... and I... first came to this dimension, we were evil, just like you," Cammy said. "We fought Trunks and Ami many times, we attacked their friends, and we were at times, very cruel... we very nearly took Ami's life in several of our fights."

"I see..." Patrick said, intently listening to Cammy's story. "Please continue."

"But after a while, our mistress, Queen Crysthea, betrayed us, condemning us to a life here on this desolate planet," Cammy said. "So my sisters and I came back here, desperately hoping that Trunks and Ami would see it in their hearts to forgive us and let us fight Crysthea with them... and incredibly, almost instantly, they forgave us and welcomed us into their home. It was absolutely incredible... they had no way of knowing that we could be trusted, but somehow, they sensed that would could be... that we did have good in us, trapped somewhere inside..."

"Cammy, what I did to you was... it was... it was reprehensible, far beyond what even my superior ordered me to do," said Patrick, turning his head away from Cammy. His voice began to falter, and Cammy could sense the shame and regret in his words, even moreso as he continued to speak. "Seeing you... for the first time... I felt something I'd never felt before, and... I should have ignored it, but I didn't. I can't say I couldn't control myself, because I could have, I could have stopped what I was doing, I could have never done it in the first place, I could have-"

"You did... you did stop, Patrick," Cammy said, gently reaching over and turning Patrick's head toward her. "That look... it's the same look I saw when you left the room before... it wasn't because my sisters were about to come... you were feeling guilt over what you'd done, weren't you?"

Patrick sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"I don't... I honestly don't know, Cammy... all I know is that I still have that same feeling, just... just not nearly as much anymore... I don't know if it's fading away completely or if it's going to come back... I don't know anything anymore..."

"I think that... I think that once you saw that what you were doing was wrong... once you realized that you were hurting a real person, that you were inflicting terrible injuries on someone that didn't deserve them at all... that the thrill went away, and the feeling went with it," Cammy said. "At least that's what I think... I'm not really sure, I'm not a psychologist... you had a really bad childhood, didn't you?"

"Not really," Patrick said. "When I was a child, I joined the Galactic Research Armada out of my own free will... I chose to train with them, I chose to fight for them, I knew exactly what they did... all I wanted was glory and money. As I rose in their ranks, it became mostly for glory. I didn't care what I did, or who I hurt, as long as... as long as people knew who I was. Now I don't even know who I am anymore..."

"I think I know," said Cammy, her hand brushing across Patrick's forehead. "You're a confused, and maybe a little bit scared young man with a strong regret for the actions he's taken in the past and completely lost as to which way in life he's headed."

"That was... really insightful, Cammy..."

"My mom works with troubled young kids, and that's the diagnosis she gave one of the kids she's mentored for," replied Cammy, her hand still gently brushing Patrick's skin. "I don't think any of her kids have ever tried to rape anyone, but-"

As Cammy's hand started to brush across Patrick's forehead again, she quickly pulled it back, as if she suddenly realized what she was doing and had quickly snapped back into reality.

"As for this whole incident," Cammy said, a more serious tone returning to her voice, "I do forgive you... but I definitely can't say I trust you. Not at all..."

"I understand that, Cammy," Patrick replied. "I don't expect you to, not one bit."

Cammy gave Patrick a nod, and then turned to leave the room. As she reached the door, Patrick called out to her one last time.

"Thank you...." Patrick said, causing Cammy to look back toward him, "for coming in and talking to me. I know there's nothing I can say or do to undo everything that I did to you, but-"

"This conversation was a start," Cammy replied. "I would be so glad... to one day be able to call you friend. Deep down, I still think you're a good person, Patrick..."

Cammy exited the room and shut the door behind her. Patrick sighed and looked up at the ceiling, as a single tear, unseen by anyone, rolled down his cheek.

__

"Heaven will never forgive me... for scarring its most beautiful angel... and I'll never forgive myself..."

---

Serena, Rei, Mina, Lita, Rose, Angela, and Cammy stood in front of the gate outside Bulma's house, its inviting presence waiting to take them home. Bulma, Trunks, and Ami stood waving on the porch, now a familiar sight to all of the girls, whose experiences during the day had left all of them physically and mentally exhausted.

"You're staying behind again, Ami?" Serena asked. "I hope your mom doesn't mind..."

"Could you call her and tell her where I am?" Ami asked her friend, walking up to her and giving her a gentle hug. "I'm pretty sure she'll know where I'm at, but I still don't want to worry her..."

"Sure thing, Ami," Serena said. "You were really good today..."

"So were you, Serena... you conducted yourself like a true leader in one of the toughest fights we've ever faced," said Ami.

"Don't kid yourself, Ami... you were the leader of that fight," Mina said, a broad smile on her face. "The way you stood up with that arrow through your chest like that... it was amazing!"

"How much overtime _have _you been putting in with Trunks?" Lita asked. _"And how much are you going to put in tonight?"_

"I haven't been training that much with him, really!" Ami said.

"Speaking of training, are you girls up for flying lessons tomorrow, since we didn't get them in today?" asked Trunks.

"I'm not going to be up for anything tomorrow," Serena replied with a yawn. "I'll probably sleep in until noon..."

"Me too," said Cammy, yawning as she stretched her arms above her head.

"You guys had better watch Patrick really closely," said Angela. "He's probably going to try every trick in the book to-"

"He won't try anything with Trunks around," replied Bulma. "I've already repeatedly instilled the fear of my son in him. He's not going anywhere."

_"Well, that's a relief..." _Angela thought. _"That perverted jerk would probably try to come after Ami next!"_

After a few more minutes of conversation, the girls disappeared through the gate. Bulma went upstairs to the guest room to monitor Patrick, while Trunks and Ami sat down on the living room couch and talked for hours on end before finally falling asleep on the couch in each other's arms. Like Serena and her friends, there would be no more training that night for Trunks and Ami. They'd seen enough of fighting, enough of training, at least for one day. But every day holds its own unique challenges and circumstances... they were both just grateful that the trials of this particular day were over and done with, leaving both of them mostly unharmed.

---

Rose, Angela, and Cammy arrived home, wearing the same clothes that they'd left in, although now they bore the scars of a quick washing and sewing job to undo most of the damage they'd sustained in the day's battles. Before they had barely set one foot into the door of their home, the lights switched on, and they all knew who they'd have to face. Their parents were seated on the living room couch, facing the doorway, and neither of them looked very happy. Finally, their mother, who had been trying to conceal her intense worry with a mask of anger, could stand it no longer, and ran over to Cammy, wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter's back as she scooped up the girl in an embrace.

"Cammy, I was so worried... we went up to check on you and you weren't there... we thought something horrible had happened!"

"You lied to us about Cammy!" shouted the girls' father, walking up to them with a stern look on her face. "When you said she was sleeping, we went up to check on her and she wasn't there! I thought that that monster that attacked the two of you had attacked her and you had taken her to the hospital without telling us... so we checked every hospital in town! But we couldn't find her there either!"

"So then... we thought... you'd been kidnapped... or something..." whispered their mother, causing all three girls, including Cammy, to gulp nervously. "Where were you, Cammy?"

The girls looked around at each other, racing to find some sort of explanation that would alleviate their parents' fears. Finding none, Rose was the first of the girls to venture telling the truth, which would eventually have to come out anyway.

"You... might want to sit down for this," said Rose, pointing back over to the living room couch. "I'm... not kidding."

The girls' father began to speak again.

"What is so important that we'd need to-" began their father before their mother cut in.

"Hatashi, please..." said the girls' mother.

"Alright, Sutoko..."

Once they were seated, Rose, Angela, and Cammy told their parents everything, as best they could. Their past lives with Crysthea, their powers, why they had forgotten everything, and the day's events... conveniently overlooking only that day's kidnapping and torture of Cammy, something that all three girls knew their parents wouldn't be able to swallow, no matter what... as if the girls' deaths at the hands of Frieza weren't shock enough.

It took a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity to the three girls, for the full effect of the story to sink in. Finally, their father began to speak.

"I can't... I can't... we're not your real parents?" asked their father, Hatashi, now consoling Satoko, who was crying on his shoulder as her mind tried to process the girls' incredible story. Rose immediately shook her head.

"No, that's not what we mean at all... you are our real parents, really... mom, you gave birth to us, didn't you? All three of us, a year apart... you said it was the toughest but most joy-filled three years of your life, right?"

"We love you so much...." Angela said, wrapping her arms around both of her parents.

"Mommy.... daddy... you'll always be our parents, no matter what," Cammy said, tears streaking down her face. "This doesn't change anything... we didn't even remember our past lives until just a few days ago...

"But you've given us wonderful new lives... this is our real life, right here and now...." Rose said, as lovingly as she could. "Please... please try to understand..."

"I understand," said Satoko, looking up at the three girls with a tearful smile on her face. "I love you too, you're my little angels.... I'm just... I'm just scared that... I don't know a part of you, and I want to get to know that part of you..."

"You already know the real us," Angela said. "Our past lives are just.... extra... the source of our gift, our gift to help people..."

"You say you train with the Sailor Senshi now.... and you had to go fight an evil villain with them, and that's why you weren't here today?" asked their Hatashi, his face beginning to straighten out. "I assume you're going to be helping them from now on... am I correct?"

"If you... if you want us to... if both of you want us to fight with them," Rose said. "But if not, we'll honor your wishes... okay?"

"You girls... you have a gift," said Satoko, "and I would be... I would be selfish... so selfish... not to allow you girls to share that gift with the world... to ensure that everyone on Earth can live as happily as the three of you have made your father and I... but... I'm just...."

"You're just worried something will happen to us," replied Rose, wrapping her arms around her mother. "Just... just take some time to think about it, and you can tell us in the morning...."

"I've made up my mind," said Hatashi, looking back and forth between his wife and the three girls. "Your mother is right... you three are not only gifted, you're strong and resourceful young women who can not only help the Sailor Senshi protect the earth, but can protect themselves while doing it... and I'm sure the Senshi protect you as well."

"Don't forget Trunks!" said Cammy, a bright smile on her face. "He protects us too!"

"I forgot about him, yes... he was the one swearing outside the house this morning, wasn't he?" asked Satoko. "I hope he's not a bad influence on you three girls..."

__

"He's probably the best influence we've ever had..." Rose thought, remembering all Trunks and Ami had done to help her sisters and herself. _"He saved our lives..."_

---

The next morning, Trunks and Ami woke up bright and early, just in time for one of the largest breakfasts Bulma had made in quite some time. Their eyes widened as soon as they walked up to the table, on which were three plates stacked high with pancakes, a large plate of bacon, another large plate of eggs, an even larger plate of scrambled eggs, three plates containing an apple and an orange, and three tall glasses of freshly-squeezed orange juice.

"My goodness," Ami said, sitting down at the table and taking a sip from her glass of orange juice. "Mrs. Briefs, what compelled you to make such a large breakfast?"

"Well, you know how Trunks lost a lot of blood yesterday, and I remembered your mother showing me that people who lose a lot of blood need to replenish their bodies with lots of nourishment, so I made a big breakfast for Trunks. Then I realized that it wouldn't be fair for him to get a big breakfast and for you not to get a big breakfast, because you're Trunks' girlfriend, so I made you an identical breakfast. Seeing all that food made me really hungry, so I decided to fix myself a big breakfast, and well... that's basically how it happened."

"Thanks, mom," Trunks said, taking a large scoop of scrambled eggs and placing it on his plate. "I don't know if I'll be able to finish this breakfast...."

__

"It's a Serena-sized breakfast, isn't it, Trunks?" Ami thought, and Trunks replied by laughing out loud, which caused Bulma to turn her head toward him as she sat down at the table.

"What's so funny?" Bulma asked, looking back and forth between Ami and Trunks. "Does Ami have a bedhead or something?"

"My hair's fine," Ami said, smiling at Bulma. "It's nothing, really."__

"I don't think mom knows we can communicate telepathically yet," Trunks thought back to Ami.

__

"Let's keep it that way... for now, at least," Ami thought. _"It won't be too long before you and your mom become close enough to hear each other's thoughts like we can!"_

Trunks laughed again, but this time, Bulma simply sighed, shook her head, and resumed eating her breakfast.

__

"Kids these days..." Bulma thought. _"Yamcha and I were NOTHING like them... of course, we weren't in love nearly as much as Trunks and Ami are... and unlike us, Trunks and Ami will stay together... I know it."_

---

After Trunks, Ami, and Bulma finished their breakfasts, Bulma made Trunks and Ami wash the dishes.

"It's your way of saying 'thank you, mom, for making such a wonderful breakfast for us'," Bulma said, as she handed Trunks a washrag. "And remember to scrub twice this time."

"I tried to say thank you, but I had a pancake in my mouth!" Trunks said, half-jokingly. Ami giggled. _"Now I _wish _my mom and I had a telepathic connection."_

"You just wish you'd remembered to thank your mother, Trunks," Ami thought back to him, smiling as she scrubbed at a plate that had chunks of egg yolk caked onto it. _"Don't worry... it happens to me all the time."_

"At least we get to do this together," Trunks thought. _"Washing dishes is so much more fun when I'm with you, Ami."_

"Yes, but I think we'd get done quicker if you'd stop holding my hand so we'd both have two hands free to wash dishes with, Trunks dear," Ami said, noticing that she and Trunks had both been holding hands under water for about ten seconds now. Of course, they'd both initiated the contact, and neither of them seemed willing to let go. However, Trunks happily took the blame for the incident, releasing Ami's hand and allowing both of them to get back to work. _"And yet... time does fly when you're having fun..."_

"Indeed it does, Ami..." Trunks said out loud.

Bulma, who was standing just outside the kitchen watching Ami and her son wash dishes, poked her head inside and called out, "Indeed what does?"

"Washing dishes takes fifteen years off of your life, doesn't it, Ami?" asked Trunks. Ami smiled.

"Indeed it does, Trunks," Ami said, happily playing along. Bulma sighed and shook her head again, turning away from the kitchen for a few brief moments. When she looked back, Trunks and Ami had stopped washing dishes and were standing in front of the dishwasher, their lips engulfing the other's, their tongues flailing inside each other's mouths.

"And open-mouth kissing takes about thirty years off of one's life. Think of all the diseases you could get... mononucleosis, tongue cancer, hoof-and-mouth disease, Frenchman's death syndrome..."

__

"She made that last one up, didn't she?" Trunks thought, ignoring his mother's taunt as he continued to kiss Ami.

__

"I'm not entirely sure..." Ami thought back to him. _"It sounds like an awfully bad disease to catch..."_

"I think I'll take my chances," Trunks thought, lost in the bliss of his passionate kiss.

---

A few kisses, dishes, and hours later, Ami was back home at her mother's apartment. Her mother, Marika, greeted her with an embrace as she walked through the door, as happy as she could possibly be.

"Did Serena call last night?" were the first words out of Ami's mouth as she wrapped her arms around her mother's back. Marika nodded, gently reciprocating the embrace.

"Yes, she did... I was a bit worried, but I knew where you probably were," Marika said. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I did... but I still missed you, mom, really I did," Ami replied honestly. "Next time I'll have Trunks stay over here, alright?"

"You can stay wherever you want, Ami, it's your decision now and you know that," replied Marika. "As long as you're safe and happy, I'll respect your decision... I love you, Ami..."

"I love you too, mom," Ami replied, her embrace becoming even tighter. "But really... I promise I'll try to spend more time with you in the future..."

__

"My darling daughter... you've become such a kind, intelligent, mature young woman... no wonder Trunks loves you so much," thought Marika. "You've got school tomorrow morning, you know that, right?"

"Mm-hmm," Ami said, nodding quickly. "Trunks already told me he's coming to visit tomorrow afternoon, after school's out. The girls and I are probably going to go see him then. He'll probably be coming back with us tomorrow night... if that's alright with you."

"Of course it is... just keep your studies up, alright?" Marika said. "Maybe you should study for a little while before you see Trunks tomorrow.

"I should probably be hitting the books right now, since I haven't been able to study very much this weekend," said Ami, walking over to the stairs that led to her bedroom. "I'll see you around suppertime, okay, mom?"

"Alright, Ami," yelled Marika, walking into the kitchen. "It should be ready in a few hours."

---

The next day, Trunks was at the Shinto shrine to greet Ami as she entered from a long day at school. Rose, Angela, Cammy, Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina were already there, talking about the things they were going to do once they got back to Trunks' world.

"Trunks said he's going to take us into the village again today!" said Serena as Ami sat down inbetween Trunks and herself. "We're going to buy supplies and stuff for Trunks' mom, since she made that big breakfast yesterday... which, by the way, I would have stayed the night for had I known it was going to be so big!"

"Yeah, we had enough leftovers for a whole 'nother breakfast," said Trunks, stretching out his arms to illustrate the size of the meal. "We could've easily prepared one for you."

"But you know, Serena... you snooze, you lose!" Ami said, looking up from her calculus textbook to speak to her friend Serena. "Don't worry, there will be plenty of other big breakfasts in the future...."

"Well, you guys had better just tell me next time!" Serena snapped. "Don't make me go all... all... all Sailor Moon on you guys! Because I will!"

"Uh.... anyway, I can't wait to play basketball in the park again!" said Lita, looking over at Rose. "Didn't we promise we'd come back to help those girls take on those mean old boys from the other court?"

"I think we did!" Rose said, a smile on her face. "I've been waiting quite some time to get back at those clowns..."

"Hey, Trunks... I'm really curious, how's Patrick doing?" Cammy asked curiously.

"He's fine right now, actually," Trunks replied. "He actually got up last night.... he's been walking around the house all morning, trying to get his strength back. He's coming along quite nicely."

"And you... you let him walk around the house? You know your mom's the only one in there right now, right?" Angela asked, her voice starting to sound worried. "What if he... what if he..."

"That's another aspect he's improved in, actually," said Trunks. "He seems... quite a bit different than he was when he was fighting for the enemy. Cammy, he told me he really wants to talk to you again... he also said that if you didn't want to, you didn't have to."

"Actually, I do want to talk to him again... quite a bit, actually," Cammy said. "The thing is, I've... got a few things I want to tell him about. I had a dream about him last night... it was really weird, too. It started out as a nightmare, with him attacking me, like he did on the space station, but then... then... this other Patrick came in... or at least a guy that looked just like him... and... well, the other Patrick rescued me, and said he was sorry, and... and then I woke up."

"Weird dream," said Rei, shaking her head back and forth. "Maybe it's an omen. Wanna go check in the fire?"

"No, that's alright..." Cammy said. "But thanks anyway."

"Guys, as soon as I finish off these last few pages, we'll go, alright?" Ami said. The others nodded, while Trunks took a quick peek over Ami's shoulder. Upon noticing him, Ami smiled and gently pulled the book away, concealing it from Trunks' view.

"Trunks, it's really rude to read over someone's shoulder!" Mina shouted, walking over to Trunks and pointing her finger in her face. "Especially when they're studying something hard like calculus! I bet you've never done calculus before in your life, have you?"

"Let's see here... 'find the area of the curve under 3 x-squared plus x plus 7 from 2 to 5'. Well now, you just find the anti-derivative here... take this, divide this... then subtract, and you get 148 and one-half square units," Trunks said, solving the problem in fifteen seconds.

"Trunks is right," Ami said quietly.

"Hmph!" Mina snorted, snatching the book away from Ami. "We'll see about that..."

Mina flipped to the back of the book, where the answered to odd-numbered problems were located. Sure enough, Trunks was right.

"My mom's a genius, remember?" Trunks said, a proud grin on his face. "She tutored me for years... best teacher in the multiverse. And by the way, Mina... it's REALLY rude to snatch someone's book away. Especially when they're studying something hard like calculus. I bet you've never done calculus before in your life, have you?"

"Trunks, that was really mean!" Ami said sharply, looking over at Mina and gently taking back the calculus book. "Sorry about that, Mina.... _Trunks, if I start to laugh... please, PLEASE don't let Mina see... that was really, really funny, Trunks..."_

Ami set her calculus book in front of her, but didn't resume studying. Instead, she turned her head away and cupped one hand over her mouth, trying her absolute hardest not to laugh like all of her friends (except, of course, Mina, who had been absolutely BURNED) were doing. Finally, she could stand it no more, and burst into riotous laughter, with Trunks not even bothering to stop her.

__

"Trunks!" Ami thought, laughing wildly. _"I thought I told you not to let Mina see..."_

"I like the sound of your laughing, Ami... besides, I think Mina already knew you were going to laugh..."

Once Ami began laughing, Mina sighed and started to laugh as well, knowing that she'd been beaten in this battle of wit.

"I'll get you next time, Trunks," Mina said through insane giggles. "Next time!"

---

Though it seemed nearly impossible at times, Ami finally managed to get her studying done, and Trunks, Ami, and their friends were able to use Trunks' teleportation wand to teleport to Nihimo Town. But while they were having a good time, Exeter and Pandemonium were preparing a strike that could potentially be their deadliest yet.

"Lord Exeter," Pandemonium said, facing a man seated in a large throne at the end of a long grand hall decorated in shining gold and jet black obsidian, "if we are to capture Trunks, we must strike a crippling blow at what he holds dear, and that is the safety of his dying planet and its sparse population."

"And that will lure him to us... how?" said Exeter skeptically. Exeter was not the most physically imposing being alive, possessing a slender frame decorated with a shimmering red robe over a black jumpsuit, and a tall, but not overly tall tuft of spiky red hair. But beneath that frame he possessed incredible mastery of magic and ki, like all upper-level members of the organization he belonged to, the Galactic Research Armada. From the moment he'd taken up the mission to capture Trunks, he knew that if anyone could catch the elusive half-Saiyan, it would be he and his army of powerful magical warriors that would accomplish the difficult task. But so far, the lieutenants he'd commissioned to do the job, Pandemonium and Nikashi, had not accomplished the mission with the haste he desired, and he was beginning to grow impatient. Was it the incompetence of his soldiers that had formed the roadblock to finishing the task? Or was Trunks just more powerful than he had anticipated? Most likely, it was a combination of both. And yet, he listened to Pandemonium, whom he could tell was becoming more determined to accomplish the mission every single waking moment... perhaps even more than Exeter himself.

"We attack his town, and he will come right to us," said Pandemonium. "And it is here that I will be waiting. My lord, I have never truly gotten to fight Trunks in a real one-on-one battle... and I am more than confident I can defeat him. Where Nikashi failed, I shall succeed... Nikashi will be part of the squad that will be attacking the town, of course."

"As long as Trunks is mine by the end of the day, I will not propose any changes to your plan," Exeter said. "But try not to screw up this time... I'd hate to have to let Sunzeki take over."

"HQ types are so stiff, it's pathetic," said Pandemonium, a hint of anger in his voice. "I will never let Sunzeki take what is rightfully my task... Trunks will fall by my hand!"

---

The girls and Trunks, accompanied by Patrick as well, entered the town, which was buzzing with late-afternoon activity. Dozens of people were milling about the streets, and several people waved as they recognized Trunks and his friends walking into town.

"So this is... what a village in Trunks' world is like?" Patrick asked as he looked around, still hobbling on his injured ankle. "It's... quaint, to say the least."

"Don't worry, Patrick, it surprised me too," Cammy said, whispering in Patrick's ear. Patrick turned his head and gasped slightly when he realized who was whispering to him.

__

"She's... speaking to me?" Patrick thought. _"Like I'm a... normal person? Does she actually trust me already?"_

Trunks and his entourage reached the town square, where he paused for a moment and began to speak.

"Ami and I are going to pick up all the supplies for mom, so... you all can follow us, or you can look around the village, basically doing whatever you want."

"That doesn't mean wreaking havoc, Patrick," Cammy whispered to him again. "I'll be watching you..."

__

"Was that a joke, or a serious command?" Patrick thought, looking back over at Cammy. Her calm expression only added to the ambiguity of what she had just said. _"I can't tell..."_

But before Trunks or anyone else could say anything more, several large, swirling black gates appeared up in the sky. Out of them came hundreds of fighters, similar in uniform to the ones who had accosted Ami back in the space station. As soon as they hit the ground, they began to disperse through the town, their powerful weapons drawn. Trunks immediately flared up his ki aura.

"What in the world?" Serena shouted. "Senshi, transform!"

"Right!" shouted Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina, taking out their henshin sticks and transforming into the Sailor Senshi.__

"They're attacking the town... after I promised the mayor that there would be no more attacks... that does it! This has to end now!"

Trunks turned to Sailor Mercury, who had taken a fighting stance as she and the other Senshi prepared to defend the town.

"Ami, can your Sailor Teleport be used to teleport other people, but not yourselves?" Trunks asked.

"I... I think so, if we concentrate the energy on the person... but Trunks, why would-"

"Then you have to teleport me back to that space station, right now," Trunks said, a determined look on his face. "I'm going to go there and kill each and every single one of those fiends... this has to end right now!"

"Trunks, what in the world are you saying?" Sailor Mercury asked, frantically looking back and forth between herself and the other Senshi, who were already starting to disperse.

"Ami, I have to do this... the only way the attacks will stop is if I go right to the source and-"

"Trunks, no, you can't!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "You're still hurt! You-"

"Ami, please!" Trunks shouted, his tone filled with anger. Sailor Mercury gasped, and then recoiled, slightly shocked that Trunks had snapped at her. "Oh, Ami... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have-"

"Wait!" Sailor Mercury shouted, causing all of the Senshi to turn around. "Come back... I need all of you to do something for Trunks..."

"Ami, I'm sorry I yelled at you... you don't have to-"

"It's alright, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said, her lip quivering as she started to sob. "I... I shouldn't have been so worried... you need to fight all of them... we'll take care of the enemies here... you go and fight up there... we'll take care of this ourselves."

---

In a large, circular room near the center of the space station, Pandemonium stood in front of the door, watching, waiting, knowing what was soon to come bursting through the door. He didn't have to wait long. When the door opened, a huge grin spread across Pandemonium's face. He felt the huge wave of ki as Trunks entered the room in his Ascended Super Saiyan form, electricity sparking all around the radiant Saiyan's muscular form. This was the moment both Trunks and Pandemonium had been waiting for. Now, neither of them could turn back. Both of them knew they could die, but neither Trunks nor Pandemonium cared. If either of them died, they would regret nothing... while at the same time, regretting everything.

"It's over, Pandemonium... you've attacked the people I care about for the last time."

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this, Trunks... you're mine for the taking."

---

So while the melee of the century is ready to begin on Trunks' world, with the Senshi, the three sisters, and maybe even Patrick facing legions of Exeter's trained combat squads, Trunks and Pandemonium get set to throw down up in space! It's going to be one hell of a show... next chapter! Mwahaha, I'm good... Please review! (And yes, I stole the chapter title from the name of the movie. Saw that movie over the weekend, by the way... and it kicks all sorts of ass. You must all go see it! I command you, do my bidding! Mwahaha!)


	14. A Hero's Struggle

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Erica: Trunks vs. Pandemonium... you should like very, very much. I promise... and don't worry, I think I just made fun of Robbie like, a lot. Or something.

Zyppora: It is a good movie... I'm glad you like the chapter! Pandemonium and Trunks will be a one-on-one battle, don't worry...

GracedAngel1854: Yay! Yes, you must see the movie... ALL must see the movie! No, wait, all must read my fic...

Robbie: I don't suck... water sucks! It really really sucks! Waaaaaater sucks! It really really sucks! Gaaaaaaaaaaaatorade.... Gaaaaaaaaaaaatorade...

Gabby: Thanks for telling everyone! hugs Now that my monitor's back, I'm ready to continue! This'll be a great chapter, I promise!

---

For several seconds, neither Trunks nor Pandemonium made an action, or even spoke a single word. They stood silent, staring across the short, yet seemingly eternally vast distance between the two of them. And then, without warning, Trunks made the first move, soaring across the vast expanse at an incredible velocity and sending a screaming kick at Pandemonium's head. Pandemonium smirked and moved to the side in the split-second between the moment when Trunks took first flight and when his kick was launched. As Trunks' leg soared through empty space, his other leg leapt off of the ground and came toward Pandemonium from the other side. This time, Pandemonium grabbed Trunks' boot with both hands, stopping Trunks' leg in mid-air and briefly upsetting Trunks' balance. Trunks was undeterred as he pushed his left leg even further toward Pandemonium's head, as Pandemonium could be seen straining to hold it back. With a final push, Trunks knocked Pandemonium's hand away, but before his leg could come swooping toward the warrior's head, Pandemonium leapt back and gave a tiny smirk, causing Trunks to mutter a singular curse under his breath.

"Those kicks were impressive, I'll admit," Pandemonium said. "It took quite a bit of strength to hold back the second one... you're proving to be quite an interesting challenge."

Trunks didn't dignify Pandemonium's taunt with a verbal response, instead choosing to point his arms at Pandemonium and launch a flurry of several ki blasts. Pandemonium smiled and extended his own arm, which began to shine brightly with a lavender glow. As Trunks' blasts hurtled toward him, Pandemonium fired several large magical energy spheres out of his extended palm. Trunks watched as his ki blasts were sucked into Pandemonium's energy spheres, which then detonated with a bright, purple flash, temporarily blinding Trunks and showering him with both magical and ki-based energy. When he lifted his head once more, he could hear Pandemonium's voice calling behind him.

"I hope you liked that last attack, Trunks... and I hope you like this even more!"

Trunks turned around and looked up. He could see Pandemonium hovering just next to him, ready to strike. However, Trunks quickly realized that it would be too late to defend himself, as Pandemonium's right foot came crashing into his face quicker than even the mighty Ascended Saiyan could respond. The force of the kick sent Trunks skidding back several feet before he brought himself to a stop, still standing, but obviously stunned.

__

"Why didn't I see that coming?" Trunks thought, wiping away a thin stream of blood that was now trickling down from his lower lip. _"Pandemonium's magical energy aura must be extremely intense, but there are instances that I can't even sense him... what in the world is going on?"_

---

Down below on Earth, the siege of Nihimo Town was just beginning, and the Senshi, Rose, Angela, and Cammy could only watch in horror as Exeter's uniformed squads began to attack the townspeople, some even breaking into nearby houses. Patrick watched as well, with a grim look on his face, but not a fearful one like the Senshi and the girls were displaying.

"We've got to stop this right now!" Sailor Moon declared. "We can't let anyone in this village get hurt!"

Sailor Mars nodded, and then fired a bright beam of flames at two fighters who were about to attack a group of children. The flames disintegrated the fighters in an instant, and the children quickly ran back inside their house.

"These guys aren't going to be very hard to beat," said Sailor Mercury. "The problem is that there are so many of them..."

"And we're surrounded!" Cammy shrieked. A group of about fifty of the fighters had encircled the nine heroes, and were tightly closing around them, guns at the ready. Everyone, including Patrick, took fighting stances, preparing for the worst.

__

"Oh, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury thought, briefly looking up into the sky, and the space beyond, where she knew her beloved Trunks would be fighting to save the people below. _"My only hope is that you will come back safely... I promise we'll take care of everything down here..."_

---

Pandemonium and Trunks were back to square one, facing each other at a distance of just a few feet apart. The only difference now was that Trunks had a bloody lower lip, which didn't seem to effect Trunks as he prepared to make his next strike. But it was Pandemonium who struck next, pointing both of his arms toward Trunks and firing off several of the lavender spheres which he'd used to absorb Trunks' ki blasts. As the spheres rushed toward him, an idea immediately rushed into Trunks' brain.

__

"If he can absorb my blasts with those purple things, maybe I can absorb his purple things with my blasts!" Trunks thought. He pointed his arms at the spheres and fired several blasts of ki, hoping that his theory was correct. The blasts rushed forward and were immediately swallowed up by Pandemonium's magical energy spheres, which then coalesced into one large, lavender globe. Trunks gasped as he realized he'd committed a potentially fatal error, and then screamed as the blast hit his body and detonated, engulfing him with potent magical energy and causing a searing wave of pain to course through his flesh. "Aaaaaaaaaaagh!"

Through the mist created by the aftermath of the blast, Trunks could see Pandemonium swooping toward him, ready to strike yet another blow. Trunks shook off the intense pain caused by Pandemonium's earlier blast, realizing that to let Pandemonium strike him yet again may tip the balance of the fight overwhelmingly in Pandemonium's favor, and that was something that Trunks just couldn't let happen. At the last moment, he ducked under Pandemonium, driving his fist into the warrior's unsuspecting stomach. Pandemonium, clearly surprised by Trunks' blow, stopped in mid-flight and doubled over with a sharp intake of breath. Trunks seized this opportunity as well, leaping above Pandemonium and driving his elbow into his opponent's spine, causing Pandemonium to fall to the ground on his knees, still gasping for breath. Now that the mist was gone, Trunks had a clear shot at Pandemonium. He pulled back his arms and began gathering his ki energy, focusing it into a single point, just in front of his outstretched palms.

__

"I've got to finish him now! Ka.... me... ha... me..."

With a loud yell, Pandemonium suddenly leapt up and spun around, blasting Trunks with a golden array of lightning that hit several points on Trunks' body, from his legs all the way down to his head. The intense blast of magical energy immediately stopped Trunks' attack and sent him flying backward. His body hit the cold, metallic floor of the room, with his back making the very first impact, knocking the wind out of Trunks as well. He skidded across the room, desperately trying to regain his balance. Suddenly, he could see Pandemonium hovering over him, his entire body lit up with a bright, red glow. Desperately, Trunks flailed out his arm, hitting Pandemonium in the shoulder with a small ball of ki. Clenching his teeth in pain, Pandemonium placed his hands on Trunks' chest and fired a huge blast of magical energy, driving Trunks into the floor and causing him to come to almost a complete stop. As soon as he hit the ground, Trunks could feel an incredible sensation of pain, centered directly on top of his chest. He looked down and immediately saw the horrifying truth. A huge hole had been burned directly in the center of Trunks' black tanktop, and within the hole he could see a large, blistering burn in his chest, where several layers of skin and flesh had been seared away by Pandemonium's brutal blast. He tried to stand, but before he could, Pandemonium was standing right over him, his boot lifted high above Trunks' chest. When Pandemonium's foot came down, Trunks let out a loud, agonized cry of pain, as if his entire body was on fire. Pandemonium's foot pressed down even deeper, further aggravating the scalded wound. Trunks could see streams of white fluid running down the sides of his chest, pus from the blisters that were being crushed and ripped asunder by the sole of Pandemonium's boot, crushing into the deadly burn.

__

"This is... one of the most horrible pains... I've ever felt," Trunks thought, still screaming as Pandemonium's foot crushed into his body. _"I've got to get up, or I'm finished!"_

"That's it, you pathetic fool... squirm under me... know that it is I who am causing you this pain!" Pandemonium shouted proudly, knowing that he was winning the fight against the Ascended Saiyan, something no one else had been able to achieve once Trunks had reached the Ascended stage. "I see no end in sight to your suffering..."

---

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

The four Inner Senshi, knowing that if they concentrated their attacks they might not be able to hit all of their foes at once, blasted the fighters rushing toward them with their unrefined magical attacks. The fighters rushed blindly into the streams of magical energy and were all blasted to the ground as the attacks slammed into them. The attacks had taken out half of the squad, but the other half quickly charged the Senshi from the other side, opening fire with blasts of energy from their guns. The blasts rained down on the girls and Patrick, quickly throwing up large clouds of dust and energy explosions that confused everyone around.

"I'm hit!" Rose shouted, clutching her leg after having taken a hit from an energy beam fired from one of the guns. She blindly launched one of her thorny vines into the smoke and dust, binding two of the uniformed fighters together before quickly crushing them into unconsciousness. When the smoke cleared, Rose sighed, relieved that she hadn't accidentally attacked one of her friends.

Meanwhile, Patrick had frozen several of the fighters in a block of ice, but was suddenly hit in the back of the head by a blast from one of their guns, knocking him face down on the ground and leaving him helpless to a barrage of kicks and stomps directed toward him by several of the fighters still standing after the Senshi's initial attacks.

"Die, vile traitor!" shouted one of the fighters as he stomped the back of Patrick's head. "You'll never see the light of day again!"

"That's what you think!" shouted Cammy, charging the group of fighters head on and blasting them away from Patrick with a gust of wind fired from her palm. The fighters were blown into the side of a building by the powerful gale, all of them knocked unconscious on impact. Cammy extended a hand to help Patrick up from the ground, but he simply shrugged it off and stood up on his own.

"You didn't tell me you had wind powers," Patrick groaned as he brushed some of the dirt from his clothes.

"Of course I do!" Cammy replied indignantly. "They're way more powerful than that Elfartzad, or what ever his name's powers, that's for sure."

As Cammy and Patrick rushed over to help eliminate the rest of the fighters, Angela could see something out of the corner of her eye that made her gasp with horror.

"Rose!" Angela shouted to her older sister, who was standing right next to her, blasting away another squad of uniformed men. "About five of those guys just ran into Chris' house!"

"That's terrible, but we've got to beat these guys before we do anything about Chris," Rose replied, nodding over to the Senshi. "I've just about got these guys cleaned up, and the Sailor Senshi took out the rest of them... don't worry, Angela, we'll get to Chris sooner or la-"

"He's got a little sister! She could be killed!" Angela shrieked, charging down the street toward Chris' house. "You guys can do what you want, but I know who I'm helping!"

---

The pain was becoming almost too much for Trunks to bear, and he felt like he could pass out at any moment. That's when he reached up and grabbed Pandemonium's knee as firmly as he could, and then twisted it with all of his might. The loud popping noise, accompanied by a loud scream from Pandemonium, indicated to Trunks immediately that he had accomplished what he'd wanted to do. He could feel Pandemonium's foot rising up from his chest, and felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his body. As Pandemonium grimaced, still clutching his injured knee, Trunks leapt up and kicked Pandemonium in the neck, a tactic that he'd used to finish off Frieza so long ago. The kick knocked Pandemonium backward nearly halfway to the wall, and Trunks took advantage again, leaping up and flying toward Pandemonium, littering the floor below with ki blasts fired nearly instantaneously, one after the other. As Trunks flew over Pandemonium, he must have hit him with at least a dozen blasts, and then continued back toward the wall, forming a line of blasts that extended halfway across the room, with Pandemonium somewhere in the middle. The flash from all of the blasts lit up the entire room with a bright blue light, and when the light faded, Trunks could see Pandemonium, struggling to pick himself up off of the ground. When he finally stood up, it was with a stagger that lasted for several seconds as Trunks floated gently down to the ground behind him.

"I'm surprised you're still breathing," Trunks said as Pandemonium turned to face him, breathing in loud, heaving gasps. "A kick like the one you took crushed Frieza's windpipe."

"I believe... you've already found me... to be a foe unlike any you've faced before, my friend," said Pandemonium, smiling as he regained his composure. "Certainly one a lot stronger than that pathetic fool Frieza, who used _ki _for his attacks and _ki _for his defense. Energywise, I'm not that much more powerful than someone like Frieza... and probably less powerful than you are right now. But the difference between us gives me the advantage... my magic against your ki, Trunks. Actually, it's a bit of both, a small amount of ki mixed in with my extremely refined magic here and there. You've noticed how my blasts were able to absorb yours, am I correct?"

"I'm not here to hold a conversation with you, Pandemonium," Trunks replied, an angry stare on his face. "I'm here to end your life."

"And you're sure ending my life will save the life of your miserable bitch and her pathetic little friends back on Earth?" Pandemonium asked.

As soon as he had finished his sentence, Trunks leapt upon him, furiously striking at Pandemonium with an intense flurry of kicks and punches. Instead of dodging, Pandemonium flared up his magical aura and used the sides of his hands to block Trunks' punches, and his knees to deflect Trunks' kicks, his right knee fully recovered after Trunks' attack just minutes before. Trunks, realizing that his blows weren't coming even close to hurting Pandemonium, stopped his rain of blows and stepped a few feet back. Pandemonium took one step forward before continuing his speech.

"Like I said, Trunks... killing me will do absolutely nothing," said Pandemonium.

"But killing your superiors will," Trunks replied, his teeth and his fists clenched in anger. "Who I'll vanquish as soon as I'm finished with you!"

"That would require defeating me, Trunks... and you seem to be assuming you can, though I clearly have the upper hand in this little battle. Remember, Trunks, when you assume, you make an ass out of you and-"

Trunks had once again had enough, pointing his hand at Pandemonium's head and firing a small ball of blue ki. As the ball hit Pandemonium's chin, it made a loud smacking noise and then disappeared. At the same time, Pandemonium's head snapped back, to the point where it was looking straight up at the ceiling of the room, hundreds of feet above. Trunks didn't take time to see if the blast had done any damage, instead, rushing forward and leaping high above Pandemonium, pulling back his arms and preparing to fire a huge blast downward, one that would hopefully end the fight once and for all.

"Ka...me...ha...me...HA!!!"

Pandemonium had done nothing to stop Trunks this time, simply staring up at Trunks as he fired the huge blast of ki from his palms. As the gigantic blast drew closer and closer to Pandemonium, Trunks' eyes widened, hoping that this time, the Kamehameha wave would reach its target and end the fight once and for all. Time itself seemed to slow as the blast got close to Pandemonium. Suddenly, with a bright flash, Pandemonium's lavender energy aura swelled out into a bright dome that blocked the Kamehameha wave up against it, spreading it out into a wide, bowl-shaped inverse dome of blue ki as the blast was deflected. Trunks' expression of hope became one of shock and then terror as a lavender beam of magical energy suddenly emerged from the dome and began to push Trunks' blast back toward him. Trunks looked down toward the ground and intensified his ki blast, pushing Pandemonium's beam back into the dome. With a smile, Pandemonium licked his lips and then blinked, intensifying his own aura even further and causing the beam to emerge once more, pushing Trunks' beam all the way out to the halfway point between himself and the struggling half-Saiyan. Again, Trunks strengthened his Kamehameha, but almost instantaneously, Pandemonium responded by strengthening his own beam, pushing back the Kamehameha even further and leaving just a few feet between Trunks' hands and the end of his Kamehameha wave. Trunks flew upward toward the ceiling, giving ground to Pandemonium's beam as it got stronger and stronger, pushing Trunks' own blast more and more. Sweat was now pouring down Trunks' face as he put even more power into his Kamehameha wave, pushing it all the way back down to halfway between himself and Pandemonium once more. His entire body convulsed as he struggled to generate even more energy, his powers strained like they had never been before.

__

"I can't let Pandemonium's attack hit me... I'm putting nearly all of my power into this attack... if it doesn't get through, I'm finished!" Trunks thought frantically. Trunks looked up and realized that he was only a few feet away from the ceiling, and he would no longer be able to give ground to Pandemonium's attack.

Down below, Pandemonium increased the energy level of his aura yet again, effortlessly strengthening his beam, which had once again pushed to within inches of Trunks' body. Trunks' eyes widened as he realized he could strengthen his Kamehameha wave no more, and his body was being pressed almost to its limit. He began to hang his head as he resigned himself to his fate.

__

"There's... got to be something I can do..." Trunks thought, _"but even if there is, will I have time enough to pull it off? This battle has taken a serious turn for the worse..."_

---

Angela rushed into Chris' living room just as the uniformed fighters had backed the boy and his mother into a corner, guns all pointed at the shivering pair. Chris' sister Kiara was sitting helplessly in her crib, crying intensely.

__

"Those bastards!" Angela thought, running toward the five men who were about to exterminate Chris and his mother. "Hey! You guys!"

The five turned around just in time to be on the receiving end of a powerful magical blast from Angela that disintegrated them all in an instant, leaving Chris and his mother huddled in the corner, staring up at her.

"An...gela?" Chris asked, slowly standing up and adjusting the rims of his glasses. "Is that you?"

"Of course it is!" Angela replied, a smile appearing on her face. "Are you guys alright?"

Chris' mother nodded, standing up and running over to Kiara's crib. She gently picked up the toddler and cradled her in her arms, quietly whispering to her that everything would be alright.

"I'm glad Kiara's okay too," Angela said, smiling as the young girl's tears quickly ceased. "The village is under attack..."

"I sorta figured that out when those guys came in," Chris said, sighing and looking straight into Angela's eyes, who were at approximately the same height as his own. "Are your sisters here too?"

"Yeah... they're fighting the rest of those creeps outside," Angela said, though with a slight amount of trepidation in her voice. "I just hope no one in the village gets hurt before we finish all of those bad guys..."

Angela briefly glanced over at Chris' mother, who was still cradling Kiara in her arms, before turning back to Chris.

"Angela, you... you saved my life," said Chris, a slight blush appearing on his face. "I, um... I... uh... thanks."

Angela giggled, before stroking her hand across Chris' cheek, causing an even brighter blush to appear.

"It was nothing, really... I'm just glad you and your sister and your mother aren't hurt," said Angela, pulling her hand away and putting it back up to her own cheek, where she had developed a blush of her own. "I could... I could stay here to protect you guys... if you want..."

"No, you should probably go help out your sisters... they need your help a lot more than I do," Chris said reluctantly, though he secretly did want Angela to stay. "Those guys probably won't come after us again..."

"But... I'd feel really badly if they did," said Angela, her lips curving into a smirk. "I could... I could just stay for a few minutes... you know, to make sure they don't come back. You don't... mind, do you?"

"You're sure your sisters don't... don't need your help?" Chris asked, though the growing smile on his face betrayed the fact that he really wanted Angela to stay. Angela, immediately sensing this, lifted the tips of her fingers to Chris' lips, covering up the smile while at the same time, feeling the warmth on Chris' cheeks as he blushed even more.

"I insist," Angela replied, sliding her fingers away. "Besides, Cammy would be really mad if I let anything happen to your little sister."

With only a slight giggle, Angela sat down on the living room couch. Chris sat down next to her, his blush still clearly evident as his mother set Kiara back in her crib and turned toward them.

"You know, Chris, you're keeping Angela from helping the other villagers," said Chris' mother.

"She made me let her stay, I swear!" Chris shouted, his head quickly turning back and forth from Angela to his mother. "She wants to make sure Kiara's safe... really..."

"Right," said Chris' mother, walking over to Angela and smiling at her. "Thank you for saving our lives..."

"Thank you for being my friend," Angela whispered back, turning to Chris. "That goes for you too..."

__

"You're welcome, Angela..."

---

After defeating the rest of the uniformed fighters in the town square, the Senshi, Rose, Cammy, and Patrick dispersed to destroy the other fighters that were attacking townspeople in their houses. Cammy went with Patrick to make sure he wouldn't join in the destruction, while Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury rushed off together to the town hall, where both girls knew that the mayor would certainly be targeted.

"We'd better hurry..." Sailor Mercury said as the two Senshi rushed up to the town hall, destroying any of the fighters that were unlucky enough to meet them on the way. "If anything happens to the mayor, the town could fall into chaos!"

Sailor Moon nodded, pushing open the door as hard as she could. As soon as the two girls reached the lobby, they gasped as they realized it had been flooded with dozens of uniformed fighters, swarming the lobby and wrecking everything they could find.

"Well, it's time to go to work!" Sailor Moon shouted, taking out her henshin stick and pointing it at the legions of fighters. "You will not harm anyone in this town, for I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice! And in the name of the Moon, I will punish-"

Several green blasts slammed into Sailor Moon at the same time, knocking her out of the building and flat on her back on the ground. As she struggled to her feet, the fighters rushed toward Sailor Mercury, who was now in the lobby all by herself. Remembering what Trunks had told her about channeling energy, she used her magical energy to form four small, glowing spheres of blue light in front of her body, which she then tossed into the crowd of fighters. The spheres detonated on impact, and within seconds, all of the uniformed men had been frozen into four large blocks of ice that filled the lobby, chilling the air around them. Just as Sailor Mercury began to celebrate, Sailor Moon stumbled into the lobby, clutching her head and groaning audibly.

"What did I miss?" Sailor Moon said, her head bowed as she winced from the damage she'd taken. "Lousy jerks, interrupting my-"

"It's over, Sailor Moon," Sailor Mercury said, pointing at the blocks of ice. Groans and the sound of teeth chattering could faintly be heard coming from the ice as Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury walked past them toward the stairs leading to the mayor's office.

"That was pretty good, Ami..." Sailor Moon said, smiling at her blue-haired comrade. "You froze them all with just one attack..."

"Yes, but it took a significant amount of my energy," Sailor Mercury said, a slight weariness in her voice. "It'll take me a while before I'm able to use it again..."

"I just hope the mayor's alright," said Sailor Moon, pushing open the door to his office. "Mr. Mayor, are you-"

"They've got my daughter!" shouted the mayor, pointing at the back of the room, behind his desk. There, two of the fighters were holding a struggling teenage girl in place by her arms, while yet another man had a hand clamped over the girl's mouth, with another hand pointing a blaster ray at the terrified girl's head. Sailor Mercury immediately recognized the girl as the messenger sent to retrieve Trunks the last time she and the other Senshi had come to Nihimo Town.

__

"So that girl is also the mayor's daughter..." Sailor Mercury thought. _"I didn't know he had one... you learn something new everyday... we have to save her!"_

"Just the ones we wanted to see," said the fighter who had the blaster pointed at the teenage girl's head. "You two had better tell your friends to surrender... or this poor girl is going to die a very, very quick death."

---

Pandemonium's blast continued to push toward Trunks, to the point where Trunks could barely see his own Kamehameha wave in front of his hands.

"If I don't do something right now, I'm through..." Trunks said quietly to himself. "I can't push his blast back... my only chance is to try and get out of the way!"

Without hesitation, Trunks abandoned his own blast, swooping out of the way just as Pandemonium's huge magical energy beam barreled through. Trunks floated down several dozen feet, expecting the next thing he would see to be Pandemonium's huge blast exploding harmlessly against the ceiling. But instead, he saw the blast stop just inches away from the ceiling, seemingly frozen in time as Trunks watched it in shock.

__

"The blast... it... stopped? But how? How did-"

Then, the blast swooped toward Trunks with incredible force and speed, slamming into his chest and rapidly pushing him down toward the floor. Trunks screamed as the huge blast burned away at his already badly-damaged chest, while disintegrating the rest of his tanktop and engulfing his arms as he futilely tried to push the huge beam away. Within seconds, the beam slammed into the ground, taking Trunks with it. A huge explosion of light soon followed, and Pandemonium finally let his energy aura fade slightly, turning toward the light to see the damage that his blast had caused.

"Trunks, if you didn't believe in magic before, you almost _certainly _must now..." Pandemonium said jokingly as the light and smoke faded. When he saw Trunks' silhouette still standing in the smoke, he was definitely shocked, but didn't show it, letting no sign of intimidation show even as the smoke cleared to show Trunks seemingly unaffected by the blast. A closer look, however, spoke differently, and when Pandemonium took that look, he couldn't help but let a victorious chuckle escape his lips. The blast had disintegrated Trunks' tanktop and had reopened several wounds Trunks had suffered in his battle with Nikashi, as well as having created several new ones, now dripping blood down his arms, his chest, and the side of his face. He was breathing quite heavily, and the large burn on his chest was smoldering one more, with the raggedness of Trunks' breaths indicating the immense pain that it was still causing him.

The most telling sign of the damage that had been done, however, was much more subtle, yet to someone like Pandemonium, who knew how to look for the signs that an opponent had been weakened, was a clear beacon that Trunks was in serious trouble. His bright golden aura of ki, which had been radiating strongly from Trunks' body during the fight, had begun to falter slightly, and the electricity encircling his body was far less intense than it had been just minutes ago. Trunks was clearly wounded, and the battle was definitely beginning to take its toll on the embattled half-Saiyan.

"My goodness, Trunks... you're looking a bit, dare I say... pale," said Pandemonium, looking Trunks up and down. "Could it be that you're... afraid?"

"I'm never afraid," Trunks said, flying at Pandemonium and striking the side of his face with a powerful punch, quicker than Pandemonium had expected, that nearly sent him reeling as he stumbled backward. Soon, another punch came in, hitting Pandemonium in the chest. And then, a kick to the face, shattering the cartilage in Pandemonium's nose and sending him flying through the air for dozens of yards before finally coming to a stop as Trunks launched a flurry of ki blasts his way. Pandemonium, his face now battered after Trunks' surprising assault, with blood gushing from his nose, put up his hand and engulfed Trunks' blast in a green fog that stopped them in place, suspending the beams of ki in its mysterious mist.

"Trunks, I've had enough of this fight, and enough of you!" Pandemonium shouted, waving his arm once more and causing the mist to begin swiftly floating toward Trunks. "I'm through with battles... now I want to begin the massacre!"

Trunks leapt above the cloud of mist, but the mist swirled up into the air, flying toward him even faster. He flew up higher to try and escape, but the mist followed him all around the room, no matter which direction he flew. Left, right, up, down, it didn't matter, the mist stalked him, and grew even faster with each turn. Infuriated, Trunks turned around and fired as large a blast as he could at the deadly cloud. The cloud stopped as the blast seemed to swim into it, quickly filling up the fog as the ki energy permeated it entirely. Suddenly, the cloud seemed to explode, but instead of disappearing, it became bright blue, now composed entirely of Trunks' ki itself. As Trunks stopped for a moment to ponder the transformed fog, it rushed toward him again, and Trunks was forced to begin rapidly flying around to avoid it. Watching from the ground, Pandemonium couldn't help as Trunks struggled to escape a cloud comprised entirely of his own ki energy.

"You see, Trunks, that's what magical energy can do!" Pandemonium shouted. "I can turn your pathetic ki against you and use it as a weapon! I can also assure you from experience that your blasts, while primitive and inferior to my own, do pack quite a wallop! Enjoy the take of your own medicine, Trunks!"

Trunks flew toward Pandemonium, hoping to swerve away at the last second and send the blast barreling into him, a last-ditch effort, but the only thing Trunks could think of at the moment. Pandemonium, however, was quite ready. As soon as Trunks was close, Pandemonium lunged forward and slammed his fist into Trunks' chest. Trunks screamed out in pain and flew back toward the energy mist, now helpless to escape its deadly energy.

"The oldest trick in the book," said Pandemonium, watching as Trunks fell toward his own blast. "But you can't use it against me, Trunks... I WROTE THE BOOK!"

Gathering up all of the energy he could, Trunks pushed himself upward at the absolute last moment, flying up harmlessly out of the mist's path as it washed over Pandemonium and detonated in a gigantic explosion. Pandemonium didn't even know what had hit him until he himself felt the immense pain of being inside the middle of his adversary's attack, its powerful ki ripping away at his flesh. Trunks dove into the cloud of smoke as it cleared, seeing Pandemonium on the ground on one knee, trying to shake off the effects of the blast. As he looked up, Trunks' foot slammed into his forehead, sending him hurtling through the air. Trunks followed him up, floating several feet away from Pandemonium and surveying the damage his own attack had done. Pandemonium's vest and brown pants had been only slightly singed by the attack. Through the burns Trunks could see bleeding wounds and blistered burns, as well as several cuts on Pandemonium's face opened up by the attack. Pandemonium's magical energy aura, however, remained exactly the same, not weakened the slightest bit. This made Trunks recoil, and when Pandemonium looked up, he was delighted to see the fear in Trunks' eyes.

__

"I don't get it!" Trunks thought. _"I don't sense any weakening at all in his energy field... that blast I hit him with was at least as strong as the blast that hit me... wasn't it?"_

---

"You let her go right now!" Sailor Moon shouted at the three fighters who were holding the mayor's daughter captive. "I'm warning you!"

"We'll be making the threats here," said the man holding the blaster to the girl's head. "Now, go and get your friends, or I'll blow this girl's head off right here, right now!"

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury stood still, not wanting to make any moves that could possibly endanger the young girl's life.

__

"If we try and attack, they could kill her!" Sailor Mercury thought frightfully, looking over at the mayor, who was shivering in the corner with tears streaming down his face. _"I can't let her die, not in front of her own father... oh, Trunks would be able to save her in a second... he's always been able to save me..."_

"If you... harm a single hair on her head..." Sailor Moon said, still pointing at the three fighters, "I'll tear all of you apart with my bare hands!"

"Once this girl is dead, it wouldn't matter," said the fighter, his gun pressing even deeper into the girl's skull. "Our lives mean nothing to us... the only thing that matters is our mission, and that's to defeat all of you and burn this village to the ground!"

"But we know that her life means quite a lot to the two of you, just like every pathetic human life on this pathetic dirtball excuse for a planet," said the man holding the girl's left arm. "And you wouldn't do anything that might endanger an innocent life, would you?"

Sailor Moon glanced angrily at the mayor, still cowering in the corner.

__

"Geez, I wish he'd do something to save his own daughter..." Sailor Moon thought annoyedly. She quickly shook her head. _"No... he knows that if he tries anything, his daughter might get killed... and if we try anything..."_

"Sailor Moon, I think it might be best if we... if we..." Sailor Mercury said, her voice beginning to stammer. _"We can't surrender, can we? But we can't let this poor girl die, either..."_

"If you don't go tell your friends to surrender to us right now, she's history, got it?" the man shouted impatiently, his grip tightening on the trigger of his gun. "You've got five seconds! Five! Four! Three!"

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury looked back and forth to one another, neither of them sure about what they could do to save the girl's life. Sailor Moon could see a tear streak down the side of Sailor Mercury's face as hopelessness began to sink in.

"Ami..."

"Two! One!"

Suddenly, the girl somehow managed to free her mouth from her captor's grip, biting into his hand as hard as she could and thrashing back into the man's stomach, knocking him back toward the wall, the gun still in his hand. As the two men holding the girl moved to tackle her to the ground, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Moon rushed forward, seizing their chance to attack.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Moon Purification Panacea!"

The combined waves of magic washed over the two men, knocking them back into the wall before disintegrating them both. Meanwhile, the third fighter ran toward the mayor's daughter, a look of pure rage on his face.

"You little... I'll kill you!"

Before the Senshi could stop him, the man had his gun pointed directly at the head of the girl, who had been knocked down in the struggle. She looked down the barrel of the gun and let out a loud scream of terror, just as the mayor, who had been sitting in the corner of the room just seconds earlier, pushed his daughter out of the way, taking the full force of the blast directly to his chest. He hit the hard, wooden floor of the room and came to a rest, a smoldering hole in the middle of his chest. His eyes opened and closed as he fought for his life on the floor, blood pooling around him. His daughter rushed to his side, collapsing over him with tears streaming down her face.

"Daddy..." she gasped, her tears soaking the man's chest. "Oh, daddy..."

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury watched on in horror, and now, Sailor Mercury herself filled with rage as she ran toward the man who had shot the mayor, now preparing to shoot his daughter as she mourned over her father's fallen body. With one powerful kick, Sailor Mercury knocked the gun from the man's hand, and with another, the fighter was on the floor, blood streaming from his forehead from a cut created by Sailor Mercury's sharp heel when it had struck.

"You... you vicious murderer..." Sailor Mercury shouted, her hand pointed at the fighter's head. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

Before the man could utter a word of protest, a bone-chilling wave of cold washed over him, causing him to emit a loud scream as his body was frozen solid. Unlike the men downstairs, who had simply been encased in ice, this man had to endure the pain of every cell in his body freezing solid, his blood running cold and turning to slush within his veins. After about ten excruciating seconds of agony, the fighter was dead, frozen solid by Sailor Mercury's attack. The tired Senshi, her rage now spent, stumbled back into Sailor Moon's arms, a look of terror on her face.

"Oh my God... Sailor Moon, I think I-"

"It's okay, Ami... you... I understand how you felt... what that man did was horrible..."  
  
"DADDY!" screamed the teenage girl as her father breathed his last breath, and his heart finally stopped. As she collapsed over the fallen mayor's body, racked in intense sobs, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury walked over to her, trying to comfort her as best they could.

"We're... we're so sorry..." Sailor Moon said sadly, her hand over her lips. Sailor Mercury wiped some of the tears away from the girl's face, causing her to look up, her eyes widening as she noticed Sailor Mercury crying as well.

"Why are... why are you crying?" asked the girl. "He wasn't... he wasn't your-"

"We could have saved him, and we failed..." Sailor Mercury said with a slight sniffle. "We.... we can't possibly-"

"It wasn't... it wasn't your fault..." said the girl, embracing Sailor Mercury, who gently returned her embrace. "I just... I just wish... I just wish daddy was... still... alive..."

"We should... probably go back and help the other Senshi," whispered Sailor Moon. Sailor Mercury smiled, and then gently shook her head.

"You go," Sailor Mercury replied, looking down at the mayor's daughter, now once again knelt over her father's body. "I'll... I'll just be a couple of minutes."

"Mm-hmm," Sailor Moon said with an understanding tone, nodding her head and solemnly leaving the room.

__

"This girl's father is going to be the last innocent person that dies at the hands of these sick people..." Sailor Mercury thought as she knelt next to the sobbing girl. _"I promise..."_

---

Trunks and Pandemonium were once again facing each other, but this time, they were hovering nearly a hundred feet in the air, halfway between the floor and the ceiling. Both of them knew that the first person to hit the ground would probably lose the fight, and neither of them wanted to be that person.

Trunks flew at Pandemonium, a deadly punch launched right at his face. As his fist slammed into Pandemonium's cheek, Trunks could feel Pandemonium's head twisting only slightly back, only getting the chance to dwell on that thought for a fraction of a second as Pandemonium replied with a punch of his own, striking Trunks in the same spot on his face. Trunks countered with yet another punch, and soon, the two warriors were rapidly trading punches and kicks in the air, blocking, dodging, trying desperately to gain whatever advantage they could at this critical stage of the fight. Finally, the two men leapt away from one another, pointing out their arms at the same time.

"Take this, and meet your doom!" shouted Pandemonium furiously, his hands lighting up with a lavender glow.

Trunks wordlessly formed two large blue spheres of energy in his own hands. After a second of silence, the two warriors fired off their blasts at the same time. Instead of absorbing Trunks' blasts, the beams of ki that Pandemonium had fired twisted harmlessly around Trunks' two spheres and headed directly for the half-Saiyan, a move that Trunks hadn't expected. Pandemonium's tactic, however, had left him susceptible to Trunks' blasts, which collided with him simultaneously, engulfing Pandemonium in a gigantic explosion. Trunks barely had time to rejoice before Pandemonium's own blast slammed into his body, creating a similar explosion. The two explosions created identical wisps of smoke that seemed to hover in place, but then quickly parted as Pandemonium and Trunks flew out of them, their energy auras pulsating brightly around their bodies.

As the two warriors flew toward each other on an inexorable collision course, the waves of ki surrounding them created a rippling effect that seemed to tear the very air around them. Finally, the two powerhouses collided head-on, and a gigantic explosion quickly rushed outward from their bodies, taking on the shape of a globe as it filled the entire room, causing the very walls of the space station to shudder in its wake. The huge wave of energy was a bright, pulsating blue aura, with bright, yellow bolts of electricity crackling all around it. When the wave had dissipated, the two warriors faced one another in the air once more. Their auras still pulsated brightly, with Pandemonium's lavender aura glowing stronger than ever, and the crackle of Trunks' electrical field still remained a familiar sound in the room, a fixture of his Ascended Saiyan state. It was perfectly clear that the two warriors had collided, but neither seemed to show any ill effects as they continued to hover, their bodies unwavering.

But after several seconds, something very strange happened to Trunks' electrical aura. It began to spark, and flash, and fade in and out. His golden glow also flashed in and out, going from bright to dim and then rapidly back again. Trunks let out a loud groan of pain, and his eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head. His body then plummeted to the ground, his back hitting the metallic floor of the room with a loud, audible thud. Pandemonium hovered down to the ground and stood over Trunks as his eyes blinked open again. His electrical aura reappeared, along with his golden glow, but both of them now seemed terribly weak, as if Trunks' very life and soul had been severely drained. As Trunks tried to stand, a terrible pain filled his entire body, made even worse by Pandemonium, sadistically smiling down at Trunks as he struggled to get back on his feet.

"I do believe... you've lost, my friend," said Pandemonium.

For the first time since he'd become an Ascended Super Saiyan, Trunks was losing a battle... and he was beginning to realize it.

---

Oh my gosh, has Trunks really lost? At least the Senshi are doing well back in Nihimo Town, right? I guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out!


	15. A Glimmer Of Light In A Sea Of Darkness

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter... The battles aren't over yet! Still some very good action prepared for this chapter!

Sonar de Suenos: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter!

MWD: It looks like it... that doesn't mean that's the way it's going to be, though.

GracedAngel1854: Trunks is in quite a fix, isn't he? Hope you like this chapter....

---

Trunks could feel his strength slipping away as he struggled to stand. He could sense the cold, contempt-filled glare from Pandemonium's eyes, could smell the blood and sweat pouring from his bruised and beaten form, and for a second, he could even see his life flashing before his eyes. Conjuring up all the strength he could muster, Trunks stood tall and clenched his fists, pulled back his arms and flared up his energy aura.

"This isn't over," Trunks said. "Not by a long shot."

Trunks flew at Pandemonium and began throwing a series of punches at his head. For Pandemonium, it seemed like Trunks' punches were in slow-motion, and he was easily able to dodge each and every single one with a minimal amount of effort. Finally, a punch came in that Pandemonium didn't block. Instead, he grabbed Trunks' wrist and began tightly constricting his grip, putting an immense strain on the fragile bones. Almost immediately, Trunks let out a cry of pain and nearly lost his balance, falling halfway to one knee. He regained his composure quickly, but just as he began to try and break loose from Pandemonium's grip, Pandemonium released Trunks' wrist and kicked him in the face, causing Trunks to fly back for a great distance before finally coming to a stop, using his feet to skid across the ground until he was able to steady himself.

Trunks knew that the physical approach would no longer work, so he pointed his arms at Pandemonium and fired a flurry of ki blasts. As the blasts came in, Pandemonium stood still, not moving an inch or even firing his own magical blasts to counter. Instead, he simply smacked away the blasts as they flew by, knocking them into the back wall of the room, each one making impact against the wall with a loud, fiery explosion. With a cry of frustration, Trunks flared up his aura and flew at Pandemonium, trying to tackle him to the ground. Before Trunks got even halfway there, however, Pandemonium leapt into the air and somersaulted all the way behind Trunks, blasting him in the back with a magical energy blasts and causing Trunks to fall face first onto the floor, skidding several dozen feet before finally coming to a rest in the center of the room.

__

"I can't... I can't even hit him anymore!" Trunks thought as frustration slowly began to sink in. _"This... this isn't fair! It's not fair at all!"_

"What's the matter, Trunks?" Pandemonium asked, standing several feet behind the still-downed half-Saiyan as he lay prostrate on the ground. "Have you finally lost your will to fight?"

As Trunks tried to stand, he gave an agonized groan, as every single movement of his muscles had become terribly painful. Suddenly, he could feel Pandemonium's foot pressing into his back, and then he was back to square one, pressed flat on the ground yet again. The bottom of Pandemonium's boot continued to press harder into Trunks' back, and Trunks began to scream yet again.

"Get up!" Pandemonium shouted, his voice filling with violent anger. "Get up, if you've got the strength! Oh, wait... you don't have the strength, do you, Trunks?"

Pandemonium kicked Trunks hard in the side, rolling him onto his back. With a smirk on his face, Pandemonium kicked Trunks in the side again, twice as hard. A sickening crack could be heard as Pandemonium's foot made contact with Trunks' ribs, and again Trunks let out a scream of pain.

__

"Dammit... there go two of my ribs," Trunks thought, knowing immediately the damage Pandemonium's kick had caused. _"I have to get up! I have to..."_

Trunks gasped, and his eyes opened wide. As Pandemonium began to kick Trunks again, he stopped in mid-kick and glanced down at Trunks with a look of curiosity.

"What is it now, Trunks?" Pandemonium asked. "Did you leave the oven on at home or something?"

Suddenly, Trunks' entire body lit up with golden energy. Without a word, he climbed to his feet, electricity pulsating all about him. Pandemonium stepped back slightly, and a surprised expression appeared on his face.

"What in the-"

"Now I know why I've been losing," Trunks said. "I've been fighting you at the same level of power with which I defeated Frieza, which was about half of my full power. I hold back because I'm worried that my full power might have an adverse effect on my body. But now I know that holding back my power will have a worse effect than unleashing my true strength could ever have."

With a loud scream, Trunks pulled in his arms close to his chest and began gathering a huge amount of ki energy. Within seconds, Trunks had finished powering up, and was ready to resume the fight.

"I'm insulted that you held back, Trunks..." said Pandemonium angrily, staring at Trunks with hatred in his eyes. "I'm stronger than you could ever be!"

With that, Pandemonium flew at Trunks. Trunks held his ground, ready for Pandemonium's attack.

__

"Trying to fight Pandemonium at half-power... THAT was my mistake... I just hope 75% is good enough...."

---

Back in Nihimo Town, the fight had been taken up to the rooftops, where Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus were engaging a group of fighters who had attacked a family earlier. The Senshi had prevented any harm to the family, and they had driven the attackers all the way to a rooftop about fifteen feet above the city streets.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

The flames rushed toward the lead attacker in a bright, glowing stream. As they drew near, the fighter put up his hand to block the attack.

"Is he insane?" Sailor Venus shouted. "He'll have his hand burned off!"

But when the flames hit the attacker's hand, they didn't burn it at all. Instead, it seemed as if the flames were stopped up against it, like they'd run into a wall. Sailor Mars gasped in shock.

"Hey, that's not-"

Suddenly, several blasts from the fighters' guns hit Sailor Mars all at once, causing a large concussion blast that knocked her off her feet. The other two Senshi immediately rushed to her side.

"Sailor Mars, are you alright?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Yeah," Sailor Mars groaned as she slowly began to stand up. "Just... just hurry! Go defeat them before they get away!"

Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus turned back toward the fighters, ready to make their own attacks. Suddenly, all eight fighters drew their weapons and blasted the two Senshi. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus stood their ground, raising their hands and firing two small blasts of magical energy. The magical energy blasts disintegrated the blasts from the fighters' weapons, barreling right through them and smashing into the squad with immense force. There was a large explosion, and all eight of them were knocked off of the room to the ground below. A small hole in the roof of the building indicated the damage caused by the blast. Sailor Venus ran over to the hole and poked her head down into the building to check and see if anyone had been hurt. The family hadn't returned yet, so the only serious damage inside the house was a few broken plates, shattered when plaster from the ceiling had fallen onto them.

"We're not... gonna have to replace those, are we?" Sailor Venus asked, a bright blush on her face.

---

"Patrick, that was incredible!" Cammy said, looking out at a group of about twenty or thirty armed fighters who had been frozen solid by one of Patrick's ice blasts. "I was kinda worried when they had us backed into a corner..."

"Why were you worried?" Patrick asked, turning to Cammy with a serious look on his face. "I thought you were tougher than that. I mean, you're almost as tough as me."

"_Almost _as tough?" Cammy shouted indignantly. "Look here, Patrick... I defeated you in battle and saved your life. I'm much tougher than you are!"

"Then why did _I _have to take those guys out?" Patrick asked, not looking at Cammy as he sidestepped the frozen fighters and began walking out of the alley. "You coming, or not?"

"Mm-hmm," Cammy said, slowly following Patrick as he walked into the main street. As she walked with him, she began to notice something, about Patrick and about herself. _"He seems... a lot more peaceful than he normally is... he's definitely not in the same mindset that he was in when he... when he... he seems a lot different now, like someone I've known for a long time... someone I've been fighting with, and not against... almost like... a friend? Am I already that close to forgetting what happened?"_

As Patrick entered the street, he looked first to his left, and then to his right. None of the terrible fighters were visible, and it was clear that they were mostly gone from Nihimo Town.

"Looks like we've just about cleared them out, Cammy..." Patrick said, turning to her. "You did... you did really well."

"You did too, Patrick!" Cammy said, a smile appearing on her face. "You beat way more of those guys than I did!"

"You were just... a little nervous is all... I'm sure you could have... you could have..."

As Patrick saw the friendly, gentle smile on Cammy's face, his lip began to quiver. He tried to speak, but nothing would come out of his mouth except for a quiet, almost sob-like squeak. Cammy's face softened, and for a brief instant, she reached out to Patrick, her fingers extending toward his own body.

"Cammy, I... I just... I haven't said this, and I think I should..."

Patrick knew that though he'd told Cammy he regretted what he did to her, he never once apologized, fearing that his apology would never be sincere enough to be truly genuine, and he didn't want to do that to Cammy, or to himself. But now he knew, as he saw the smile on Cammy's face and the caring expression in her eyes... now he knew he was sorry, and he had to tell her... before it was too late.

"I... Cammy, I...."

"What is it, Patrick?" Cammy asked softly, walking over to him. "Don't worry about beating all of those guys, I needed a rest anyway, and if we see anymore, I'll handle them, okay?"

"That's not it, Cammy..." Patrick said, beginning to bow his head to the ground when he realized he could no longer look into Cammy's eyes without being overcome by regret and shame. "Cammy... I... I..."

And that was when Patrick began to sob. His hand flew up to his face, and he collapsed to the ground on one knee. Immediately, Cammy was upon him, her gentle hand raising up his head so that he was looking right at her. He turned his head away, but Cammy gently but firmly turned his head back toward her own, looking at him with a gaze that reflected nothing but the most caring and concern expression.

"It's... it's me, isn't it?" Cammy asked. "Patrick, I-"

"I'm so sorry...." Patrick gasped, as tears began falling down the sides of his face. "Cammy, I never should have... I hurt you, and I'm so, so very sorry..."

"Patrick..."

---

As soon as Pandemonium's fist took its first swing at Trunks' face, Trunks was ready, catching the quick-moving fist in his hand and holding it back almost effortlessly. Pandemonium groaned, but the expression on his face never changed. Whether he was surprised or not, Trunks couldn't tell.

"It's... not so easy now, is it?" Trunks asked, squeezing down on Pandemonium's fist with as much force as he could muster. Pandemonium raised his other hand to Trunks' face and blasted him with a burst of magical energy. Trunks was stunned, but never released his grip on Pandemonium's hand. The smoke cleared, revealing that the blast had done no noticeable damage to Pandemonium. Trunks now took his turn to attack. He raised his fist and swung it at Pandemonium, who raised up his own hand and caught Trunks' fist. The two warriors now stood joined, jockeying for position with a firm grip on one of the other's fists. They pushed as hard as they could, but neither could gain any ground. As Trunks pushed Pandemonium back, he could feel a great, lingering pain, obviously caused by the many prominent cuts and bruises on his body. He began to clench his teeth as the pain grew stronger and stronger. Suddenly, with a great burst of magical energy, Pandemonium broke free from Trunks and leapt back so that he was standing the same distance from Trunks as he had stood just moments earlier, right after Trunks had powered up. Pandemonium's magical energy aura was glowing stronger than ever, and as Trunks gazed at it, he knew that he'd still have a long way to go to win the fight. His broken ribs still pained him greatly, and they grew more and more painful with every move that Trunks made, from the quickest flight to the tiniest twitch of a muscle. For a brief split-second, Trunks could see Pandemonium's eyes flash toward Trunks' ribs before looking back up to gaze into the half-Saiyan's eyes once again.

"Ready to do this?" Pandemonium asked, his fists clenched tightly. "Why don't you come at me this time?"

Trunks smiled, and then shook his head.

"I'm not afraid of you," said Trunks, "but I'd like to avoid flying into an obvious trap."

"Suit yourself," Pandemonium said, lifting off of the ground and taking flight toward Trunks once more. This time, Trunks extended his arms outward, obviously ready to fire another powerful ki blast. He clenched his teeth and began gathering as much ki energy as he could.

__

"This has _to work," _Trunks thought, even as Pandemonium drew nearer and nearer. He could feel his prominent golden aura swelling up as his energies all converged into a singular point, right out in front of the rapidly flying Pandemonium. "FINAL FLASH!"

A single gigantic burst of energy exploded right in front of Pandemonium's face, showering him in brilliant white light. The explosion filled the entire room, engulfing Trunks as well as Pandemonium, who was caught hopelessly in the epicenter of the blast. Not stopping for a single moment, Trunks flew into the blast, determined to finish of Pandemonium while he still had the chance. He knew that while his Final Flash was extremely powerful, it would probably leave Pandemonium alive, but very injured and very stunned. He flew into the vast expanse of solid light, and soon saw Pandemonium floating in the air, his eyes tightly closed. His clothes were torn in numerous places, and his body was covered in cuts and burns, most of them caused by the incredible blast. Trunks readied his fists to deliver a flurry of punches, but just as he reached Pandemonium, the powerful warrior seemed to disappear, right before his eyes. For a second, Trunks scanned the white haze as it slowly dimmed and faded, wondering if Pandemonium had simply backed off into the flash.

__

"He's gotta be here somewhere... he just floated back a little ways, I know it!" Trunks thought, not knowing nearly how wrong he was. As he turned around, he could hear a brief swoosh of air that lasted only thousandths of a second. That was immediately followed by a burning, agonizing pain that ripped through Trunks' midsection and filled his entire body, causing him to immediately fall to his knees. Pandemonium's mighty kick had slammed right into Trunks' fractured ribs, and the pain was unbearable, even for the powerful half-Saiyan. He tried to scream, but could only muster a weak gasp as he futilely tried to crawl about the ground. The white flash faded completely, and Trunks looked up, only to receive another brutal kick, this time in the middle of his face. The kick knocked Trunks back across the ground, his nose shattered by the force of Pandemonium's kick. He skidded along the ground, and for the first time, he could issue forth a scream that sounded more animal than human, a scream of intense pain that felt like the fires of hell were burning Trunks alive. A thin stream of blood began to trickle from his lips, while a much thicker stream gushed down his nose. He climbed back up onto all fours in order to let the blood fall to the ground, collecting in a large pool under his body as he slowly climbed back onto his two feet. As soon as he'd reached a vertical base, Pandemonium brought Trunks back down again with an incredible punch to the stomach. Trunks doubled over and collapsed yet again, gasping and then vomiting a large amount of blood onto the ground, into the pool that had already collected under his badly beaten body. It was then that Trunks realized his fatal mistake, something that should have been elementary to him, even before he powered up to 75% of his full power. His body was too badly injured to fight, even with the incredible strength that Trunks had acquired, now vastly escaping his body yet again.

__

"I... I waited too long... my body's too injured... no amount of power can help me now..." Trunks thought as he knelt down on the ground and vomited another stream of blood, now more helpless then he had ever been. He couldn't move an inch without feeling the same incredible pain from his severe injuries, his body ravaged by the battle that he'd clearly lost. Pandemonium stood over Trunks for several seconds, watching him with a victorious, sadistic smile. Then, in a gesture of pure hatred and rage, Pandemonium kicked Trunks in the spine, knocking him face down on the ground again. A gasp, and then a scream as even more pain ripped through Trunks' body, marked with gashes that crossed his chest, arms, legs, face, and back, and crippled by terribly fractured bones and horrific bruises. As he lay gasping for breath on the ground, his eyes blinked open and closed in a desperate attempt to stay conscious.

__

"Ami was right... it was too dangerous to come here... to fight... oh, Ami... I'm so sorry... I yelled at you when... when I should have stayed... I have to see you again, Ami! I... I... I have to win!"

Mustering all the strength he could, Trunks made an agonizing effort to stand, crawling to his knees and then pulling his body up, even as brutal pain punished Trunks for every minute effort he made to move his badly-beaten form. Pandemonium walked around to the front of Trunks just as he stood up completely, his eyes gazing into Pandemonium's yet again. He pointed his arm at Pandemonium and fired a small, weak ki blast that Pandemonium easily knocked away, over Trunks' head and back into the far wall. He stopped smiling, and his face curled with rage. A snarl appeared on his lips.

"You pathetic, sniveling little half-breed," Pandemonium said, with far more contempt than amusement. His own body had been badly injured by Trunks' attacks, and though he wasn't in nearly as much pain as Trunks, he was still in a great deal of pain as he stood facing his defeated foe. He pointed his hands downward at Trunks' knees and blasted them with magical energy blasts. The blasts were the last straw for Trunks, as he let out another pained scream and collapsed onto his knees, which had been greatly burned and damaged by the blasts, causing Trunks to let out a gasp of pain as he landed on them. With a brief smile of approval, Pandemonium kicked Trunks in the face, knocking him back to the ground, flat on his back. Trunks' energy aura was now small enough to be nearly non-existent, and the electricity that had once been crackling so mightily and prominently around his body was now reduced to a faint spark every two or three seconds. Trunks twitched on the ground as Pandemonium slowly but deliberately walked toward him, and could do nothing to stop Pandemonium as entire body began shining brightly with a lavender glow, his magical energy aura now more intense than ever. Though Trunks didn't show it on the outside, his insides were trembling in fear, as he realized that his agony had only begun. A singular tear made its way to his right eye, but didn't escape down his face, even as Pandemonium stood over him, ready to begin the final phase of Trunks' subduction.

__

"Ami... forgive me..."

---

Ami, still transformed into Sailor Mercury, was still in the office of the fallen mayor, comforting his now-orphaned daughter. She had no idea of the horrible events that had befallen Trunks high above Earth in the enemy space station, but something had begun nagging at the back of her head, a persistent worry that had entered her mind at the exact moment Trunks had fallen to Pandemonium. She couldn't get that worry out of her head, and became more anxious by the second as she talked to the girl who was now standing over her father's body.

"I... I still can't help but think that this is all my fault," sobbed the girl, tears still running down her cheeks. Sailor Mercury reached up and brushed some of the tears away, her gentle touch bringing immediate comfort to the sobbing teen.

"It's not, even though you're probably thinking that it is," Sailor Mercury replied with a level of truth that could only come from experience. "Sometimes, when the ones we love get hurt, that's all we can think about... that somehow, someway, we did something to hurt them ourselves. But... you can't let yourself think that, because it's the quickest way to despair."

The girl nodded, but retained a look of great sadness on her face.

"How would... how would you know?" asked the girl with a hint of doubt. "How would you know about something like this? Is it because your Senshi friends have been in situations like this before?"

"Actually..." said Sailor Mercury, who began to recall Trunks' battle to rescue her from Frieza so very long ago, "...it was Trunks who was put in danger coming to rescue me."

"Really?" asked the girl, now curious to hear what Sailor Mercury had to say. "You mean... you mean Trunks was hurt because-"

"I thought it was because of me, I thought it was all my fault at the time..." Sailor Mercury said sadly. "I thought that... that maybe he thought I hated him for putting him through so much, for being taken so easily... for..."

The feeling of worry inside Ami's mind had became almost too much to bear, and for a second, she turned away from the girl, trying as best as she could to compose her thoughts. The girl simply looked on, now understanding that she and Sailor Mercury had a common experience, something they could both relate to... in this girl, she had found perhaps a lifelong friend.

"I'm alright, it's just hard to think back on that sometimes," Sailor Mercury said, though she was far more distressed about what might be Trunks' current situation than what had happened to the both of them eight months ago. "Are you feeling a bit better? Do you understand now that sometimes, these things happen because there are evil creatures in the world that want to harm innocent people, and that your father died because of that and not because of you?"

"I... I think so," said the girl, wrapping her arms around Sailor Mercury. "Thank you... Sailor Mercury..."

"Call me Ami," Mercury replied, knowing that people learning her identity in this world would have no ill bearing on her home dimension.

"And my name is Minori," said the girl, a smile appearing on her face for the first time since her father had been killed. "Thank you... so very much, Ami..."

Sailor Mercury nodded. Now that Minori was feeling better, she could go and help her friends fight the rest of the fiends in the town.

"Are you going to be okay if I leave to help my friends fight the rest of the bad guys?" Sailor Mercury asked. Minori nodded again, and after one last hug, Sailor Mercury left the room and headed downstairs to the lobby. There, in a large pile, were dozens of unconscious and half-frozen fighters, the ones whom Sailor Mercury had attacked earlier. Knowing that if they woke up, Minori might be in danger, Sailor Mercury used some of her magical energy to re-freeze the fighters, which would put them out of action for several more hours. By then, the fighting would be over, and Sailor Mercury would be able to come back for Minori. Though she had made a new friend, Sailor Mercury couldn't shake the one thought that had become ever-present in her mind over the last several minutes. Trunks was in danger, she knew that for a fact, and if she didn't help him soon, it might be too late to save him.

__

"Please, Trunks... I beg of you, please be alright..."

---

But Trunks was far from alright as Pandemonium paced around him, angrily staring down at the battered Ascended Saiyan with a look of anger and contempt on his face.

"You're pathetic," Pandemonium spat, stomping on Trunks' leg with tremendous force and eliciting another ear-splitting scream from its embattled owner. "You can't beat me to save your life, and I bet you can't beat me to save Ami's, either."

The mere mention of his beloved's name brought a new, intense wave of pain to Trunks' body that he'd never anticipated. It wasn't a physical pain, but an intense emotional wound that dug all the way down to the depths of his very soul. If Ami knew what had befallen Trunks, it would literally tear her apart, and he knew it, just like it had so brutally crushed him when Ami was being tortured by Frieza. The next thought that entered Trunks' head was the thought that he'd never see Ami again... he would never hear her lovely voice, gaze into her sapphire eyes, run his fingers through her soft, silky hair, or kiss her soft, beautiful lips ever again... his last words to her were words of anger, he'd literally shunned her, demanding that she use her own powers to help him get his revenge on Pandemonium... and look where it had gotten him. Trunks deserved this, he thought, he deserved it for being arrogant, just like his father...

"You know that after you, she's next, don't you?" Pandemonium said coldly, and Trunks immediately lifted his head, despite the great deal of pain that it caused him. "We're going down to the planet to finish what my men started... if she's not already dead, that is. Of course, I'll make her death quick and painless... the penalty for sadism is death by vengeance, and I fear yours. I believe I'm wise to do so... had Frieza killed you and then killed Ami, he'd be ruling this sector of space, and we'd be dissecting him right now. We watched that fight, you know, watched it from afar... we have eyes everywhere, Trunks."

"You're not.... you're not killing Ami, or any of the people I love!" Trunks shouted, standing up with renewed confidence in his voice. His body was filled with pain, but he knew that defeating Pandemonium was the only chance he had to save the lives of the people back on his home world... his mother, and Ami._"I... I have to power up to full strength, or at least try... it's the only way!"_

"Look who got a second wind," said Pandemonium, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Damn, I should learn when to shut my big mouth, shouldn't I?"

But as Trunks raised his hand to attack, a long, red energy strand encircled both of Trunks' wrists, binding them tightly together and pulling them above Trunks' head. Standing behind Trunks was Nikashi, her red energy whip tightly binding his arms and pulling them back. Trunks screamed in agony, but was pulled tightly into a standing position by the force of the whip's pull, cutting into his wrists and putting an excruciating amount of stress on his arms. In Trunks' severely weakened state, he couldn't hope to break free, and was now completely mobilized and at Pandemonium's mercy.

"Aw, I was going to beat him up!" Nikashi squealed, though her anger was more playful than genuine. "At least I get to have a little bit of fun..."

"Nikashi, I thought you were going down to the planet to destroy the Senshi and that pathetic provincial village," Pandemonium said. "This is between me and Trunks."

Suddenly, a smile crossed Pandemonium's face, and he gave a grin that filled Trunks with dread. As sweat and blood poured down the terrified half-Saiyan's face, Pandemonium began to speak again.

"The _battle _is between me and Trunks... but it looks to me like the battle's over," said Pandemonium, his hand roughly wiping some of the blood from Trunks' face. "Now the fun begins."

Pandemonium drew back and punched Trunks in the gut, immediately knocking the wind from Trunks' body. He instinctively tried to clinch his stomach in, but found that he couldn't due to Nikashi's whip holding him in place. A stream of blood spewed from his mouth, some of it landing on Pandemonium's face and chest. With an angry growl, Pandemonium leapt up and kicked Trunks in the chest, breaking yet another one of Trunks' ribs and eliciting a loud scream.

"How DARE you spray your filthy Saiyan blood on my flawless body!" Pandemonium shouted. He struck Trunks hard across the face with the back of his hand, causing Trunks' head to slump downward, as if he was unconscious. Several more blows rained down on Trunks' head, some from Pandemonium's fists and some from his legs, each blow creating a large bruise or opening a gash on Trunks' face. When Pandemonium was done, he began repeatedly punching Trunks in the stomach, nearly a dozen times before he finally stopped. Every breath was now an immense labor of pain for Trunks, who remained conscious throughout the beating, being able to stand only because he was being forced to his feet by Nikashi's whip, keeping his wrists firmly bound above his head. Two large streams of blood were now trickling down Trunks' arms as the whip's tight hold cut deep, bleeding gashes in the half-Saiyan's flesh.

"You know..." gasped Trunks, choking up blood as he spoke. "I... I'm not... at my... at my full power... please... please let me-"

"You're STILL holding back?" Pandemonium shouted, striking Trunks in the stomach. "It's too late now... you should have given it your all from the very start! You foolish Saiyan!"

"This is wonderful!" Nikashi shrieked, her hand eagerly grasping the whip as she giggled every time Pandemonium struck Trunks. "But if we're going to capture him, don't you think we should-"

"Screw capturing him," said Pandemonium, his hand pointed directly at Trunks' face. "I'm going to kill him."

Nikashi screamed as Pandemonium began to charge a large, powerful ki blast, designed to be fatal to Trunks as soon as it hit. Trunks looked up at the blast with wide eyes, his only thought being that of his beloved Ami.

__

"Ami... I'M SO SORRY!!!"

But just before Pandemonium could fire the blast, a loud voice quickly brought him back to his senses.

"You kill him and I don't think our master would appreciate it very much," came the voice, who Pandemonium immediately recognized as Sunzeki's. "And I'd be forced to kill you."

Pandemonium turned around, a pleading look in his eyes.

"But... but he's the legendary Ascended Super Saiyan! Vanquisher of Frieza and the androids! I have him completely at my mercy!" Pandemonium shouted. "I defeated him!"

"And now we're going to capture him, as per the original plan," said Sunzeki. "I'm sure that when our master is all done with this fool, he'll let you finish him off. We're not keeping him alive forever, you know."

"Yeah, Pandemonium," Nikashi huffed, still holding the whip around Trunks' wrists. "I get to have fun with him first!"

"Actually, you're not allowed anywhere near him," said Sunzeki, pointing directly at Nikashi. "I _know _what you've got in mind for him, and it gives me nightmares just thinking about it. Pandemonium, you'll be in charge of imprisoning Trunks... keep him alive. I don't care how badly he's injured, as long as he's alive and in... _relatively _good condition."

With an angry yell, Pandemonium turned around and kicked Trunks in the ribs, as hard as he could. Trunks gave one last, gasping scream. His eyes closed, and his golden energy aura faded completely, along with the weak sparks of electricity. His hair returned to its normal purple color and became straight again, falling in long, blood-soaked strands over his face. Nikashi pulled back her whip, allowing the unconscious Trunks to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

"That's a good boy," said Sunzeki, with a condescending tone that Pandemonium had come to resent. "I'll inform headquarters and return for the Saiyan in a few days. Until then, you have my sincerest gratitude."

And with that, Sunzeki left the room. Pandemonium looked down at Trunks, whose battered and nearly dead body was lying in the center of the room in a pool of blood. Nikashi knelt down and kissed Trunks once on the lips before leaving the room, her whip dragging on the floor behind her.

"I can't kill you..." said Pandemonium, "but I can make your life a living hell, Saiyan... and rest assured, I will."

---

As Patrick knelt down in the street with tears streaming down his face, Cammy walked over to him and loosely looped her arms around his chest, giving him a light hug before helping him back to his feet.

"Why are you... hugging me?" Patrick asked, turning to her as she wiped a tear from his eye. "I... I..."

"I thought you already knew that by now," said Cammy. "You said it yourself... remember?"

"You mean... how wonderful you are?" Patrick asked. "That's why... that's why-"

"That's why you feel so badly, I know," said Cammy, with a soft, understanding tone. "It's alright, Patrick... it's over now, and I've forgiven you... c'mon, we've got more bad guys to fight, okay?"

With a quick nod, Cammy and Patrick ran down the street, searching for any more fighters that might still be lurking about.

__

"I feel... so much better, now that I've forgiven him..." thought Cammy, taking a quick glance at Patrick as the two turned the corner into another street. _"I'm not even surprised that it was so quick anymore... I think a fresh new start is what we've both needed..."_

---

"And that's the last of them!" Rose shouted, blasting a group of fighters who had gathered in the middle of a family's kitchen. The family, who had huddled up in the corner, got up and ran over to thank Rose just as Sailor Moon ran into the room, tired and winded, evidently from having just destroyed some bad guys of her own.

"Rose, are you alright?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Of course I am!" Rose said, nodding her head and pointing to the family she'd just rescued. "All in a day's work, you know."

"We owe you our lives," said the father of the family, pulling his wife and his three young children close to him. "We don't know what we would've done without you..."

"Hey!" shouted a little girl, a little sister to the two other children, both older boys. "You're that girl I played basketball with a few days ago! You and your friend came and played basketball with us, remember?"

"I told you I'd come back," Rose said, giggling as she patted the girl on the head. "My friend's here too, fighting even more bad guys!"

"Really?" asked the girl, her eyes opened as wide as saucers. "Wow!"

"Maybe tomorrow after this town's cleaned up, we can play basketball again, okay?" asked the girl eagerly. "And kick those boys' butts!"

"Whose butt are you gonna kick, squirt?" asked one of the boys, looking down at his little sister. "There's no way we're going to lose to a bunch of girls!"

"Oh, really?" Rose asked, smiling at the two boys. "Well, if you two are man enough, come down to the court tomorrow and we'll take you all on!"

"I think we should come outside first," said Sailor Moon, taking Rose by the arm and dragging her toward the door. "We've got to find out if the other Senshi are alright... and your sisters as well."

"Oh yeah!" Rose said, waving at the family as Sailor Moon pulled her out the door. "Bye! And remember, tomorrow at the basketball court, alright?"

"She was hot," said the younger of the two boys after the door closed. "The redhead, I mean."

"You kidding me?" asked the older boy. "The blonde chick's boobs were much bigger!"

"Hell no, the redhead's boobs were twice as big as the blonde chick's boobs! You need your eyes checked," said the younger boy.

"What did we tell you about using that kind of language?" scolded their mother. "Thinking about girls like that... you're setting a terrible example for your sister!"

---

Sailor Moon and Rose walked all the way to the middle of the town, where Angela, Cammy, and Patrick were standing, as well as the Senshi, minus Sailor Mercury.

"Did you guys check the rest of the houses?" asked Sailor Mars as Rose and Sailor Moon ran up to the group. They nodded, pointing at the group of houses they'd cleaned out.

"I think that's the last of them," said Rose, looking all around her. She could see lots of people outside tending to the injured, but no more of the deadly uniformed fighters. "We've beaten them all!"

"And I don't think anyone's been killed, either," said Sailor Jupiter. "At least not in the houses I checked..."

"No dead in the houses I checked," said Rose. "Not many injured, either... seems like I was able to make it just in the nick of time!"

Sailor Moon gulped, knowing that there was one particularly important death she hadn't mentioned.

"What's the matter, Sailor Moon?" Rose asked. "Did something happen while you were fighting?"

"Guys, I think maybe someone was seriously hurt," said Angela, turning to Sailor Moon with a worried look on her face. Sailor Moon nodded.

"Guys.... the mayor, he was-"

"Hey look, over there, it's Sailor Mercury!" Cammy shouted eagerly, pointing to the road that lead to the town hall. Sailor Mercury was walking down the road towards the group, with a solemn expression on her face. As Sailor Moon ran over and embraced the Senshi of Water, she returned her princess' hug with slightly less eagerness, deeply troubled by her thoughts of Trunks in danger.

"You two went off together, right?" asked Angela, looking over as Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury returned to the group. "So, what happened to the mayor?"  
  
"The mayor was killed," said Sailor Mercury, and immediately, almost everyone in the group, including Patrick, gasped.

"That's... that's terrible," Patrick said, with a sincerity that was distinct from the sarcasm he usually displayed. Cammy could immediately tell that even Patrick had been saddened by the news.

__

"He really has changed..." she thought. "The mayor? Oh no!"

"The fighters that attacked took his daughter hostage," said Sailor Moon, continuing Sailor Mercury's story. "She was able to get herself free, but when one of the men tried to attack her, her father pushed her out of the way and was hit by the beam himself. He died... pretty quickly after that."

Sailor Mercury nodded.

"His daughter's alright now, but we should probably go to her sometime later to help her move her father's body somewhere else," said Sailor Mercury. "We should probably help her bury it as well..."

"At least no one else was killed," said Sailor Venus, "but even one person dying is one person too many."

The Senshi, the sisters, and Patrick all nodded in agreement.

"Right now, Trunks is... Trunks is trying as best as he can to fight those vicious fiends that caused all this," said Sailor Mercury, tears starting to come to her eyes. "Wherever you are, Trunks... please, please be safe..."

Suddenly, Sailor Mercury collapsed to the ground and began to sob violently, her gloves quickly becoming stained with tears as she placed her hands over her face, not wanting to let the Senshi see her cry. They all rushed to her side, trying to comfort their troubled friend as best as they could.

"Ami, Trunks is going to be fine," said Sailor Moon, wrapping her arms around her friend once more. "He's strong... he's very strong... and right now, he's fighting for all of us... I know he'll come back safe."

"He's going to beat all of them... every single one, and he'll be back before you know it!" Rose said cheerfully. "If Trunks can beat us, he can certainly beat a few grumpy guys up in space!"

"Just take it easy, alright?" asked Sailor Jupiter, gently helping Sailor Mercury to her feet. "We're all going to be here for you... right now, let's try to help out the rest of the villagers... then we'll go back and talk to Mrs. Briefs. Maybe Trunks is back there already!"

Sailor Mercury nodded. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes, and then began walking with the Senshi toward a group of people helping out an injured family. She knew her mission, it was to help people and protect the innocent, and right now, the people that mattered were here in this village. But somehow, in the deepest recesses of her mind, she could sense that Trunks needed her help as well... more than all of the people in Nihimo Town combined.

__

"I know something's happened to Trunks... I can feel it... something terrible..."

---

When Trunks came to, he found himself in a cold, dark, dank room, evidently an old prison room located somewhere deep within the space station. Its door was not computerized, but instead a thick, metallic gray door, barricaded with several locks. When he tried to move his arms, he found them firmly chained to the wall, his left arm chained above his head to the left, and his right arm chained above his head to the right. His legs were also chained, bolted to the wall in a similar fashion to his arms, but unlike his arms, they were bolted together. Not that it would matter. Trunks knew his body was probably too weak to even move at this point. Still, the chains appeared to be made of metal, something Trunks knew he could easily break. He began to struggle against the chains, but found them impossible to budge. Sighing, he ceased his futile attempts and stared down at the floor, noticing the numerous wounds that his chest had sustained during the battle. Some of them were still dripping blood, as Pandemonium hadn't taken the time to treat even the most minor of Trunks' wounds.

"Bastard..." Trunks muttered as he hung helplessly on the wall. "When I get out of here..."

Just then, Trunks could see the locks on the door slowly sliding back, and the door slowly creaking open. Pandemonium walked into the room, a cold, emotionless stare on his face. He was wearing a new outfit, identical in style to his old fighting costume. He had several bandages on his face, covering wounds he'd sustained in the fight.

"I see you're awake, Trunks... a lot sooner than I'd expected," said Pandemonium. "I'm quite surprised at your resiliency, Trunks."

"I've had worse beatings before..." Trunks said, his voice reduced to a near-whisper, though angry, and with great conviction. "I'm... I'm going to get out of here... and when I do..."

"You're going to get put back in here again," said Pandemonium, a smile appearing on his face. "Face it, Trunks, you'll never beat me. Not even at full power. But even that's something that will never happen... I like you like this, Trunks. Pathetic and weak, a true reflection of the kind of person you really are."

Pandemonium walked up to Trunks and punched him in the stomach, a blow that caused even more blood to trickle down Trunks' lips. Trunks let out a gasp, but didn't scream. He clenched his teeth, not wanting to give Pandemonium the satisfaction of hearing him yell even one more time.

"You... you're not going to... hurt Ami..." Trunks gasped as soon as he could speak again. "I... I won't let you..."

"I see how it's going to be," said Pandemonium, an angry stare returning to his face. "You fool... your every word, your every breath offends me."

Pandemonium reached into his pocket and pulled out a dirty white rag, then rolled it up and tied it around Trunks' mouth, pushing the middle of the rag inbetween Trunks' teeth. Then, he punched Trunks in the stomach again. Trunks' scream of pain was now muffled by the cloth, which begin to stain red as blood dripped through it onto the floor beneath Trunks' chained form.

"I'll be back," said Pandemonium, striking Trunks in the ribs and then leaving the room. As Trunks groaned in pain, the taste of the foul cloth between his teeth and the metallic bitterness of his own blood pooling inside his mouth made Trunks want to vomit. He held it inside, knowing that if he threw up, it would be just one more terrible taste in his mouth, adding further to his agony. All he could do now was stare down at the floor, trying his best to ignore the intense pain coursing through every inch of his body, and pray that somehow, some way, Bulma, Ami, and the others back on Earth would be safe... because Trunks was nothing now.

---

Several hours later, the Senshi, Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick returned to Bulma's house, after having tended to some of the injured in the village, as well as making sure everyone there would be alright. The unconscious fighters had been placed inside a magical prison created by the Senshi, about ten miles outside the town. Stripped of their weapons, the fighters wouldn't be able to escape the prison, a glowing dome of magical energy that would hold them all until the Senshi figured out what to do with them.

"Are you alright?" Bulma asked as the nine weary heroes entered her living room and sat down on the floor. Bulma walked over and sat inbetween Serena and Ami, who had detransformed since leaving the village. The Senshi had used their Sailor Teleport to get back to Bulma's house, since Trunks was no longer there and obviously unable to fly them back. After receiving nods from everyone, confirming that they were mostly unharmed, Bulma walked into the kitchen and brought out a large tray of sandwiches.

"Thank you, Mrs. Briefs," Serena said, taking one of the sandwiches and eating it in only a few seconds. "We ran into a little trouble in town, though..."

"It was attacked by a bunch of bad guys!" Mina said. Bulma put her hand to her lips and began shaking her head.

"Oh, dear..." Bulma said. "I was wondering why you guys came in all tired... wait, where's Trunks?"

Ami sighed. So much for Trunks being back at his house...

"He... he had us teleport him away to the space station... after he saw the village being attacked, he became determined to fight the ones causing it, so... so we..."

Ami began to get choked up, and Bulma quickly interrupted her.

"So he's up there... out in space... fighting bad guys," Bulma said, shaking her head even further. "I see..."

"We told Ami he'll be alright," said Serena, looking around to the rest of her friends. "Trunks is really tough... he's beaten up hundreds of bad guys before, and these can't be any different!"

"That's right," said Cammy, curling up her fists and throwing a few mock punches. "If anyone can get the job done, it's Trunks! Pow pow! Pow!"

Ami stood up and sniffled, wiping at her eyes as if she was about to cry.

"May I... may I please be excused?" Ami asked. Before anyone could answer, Ami ran to the basement door and hurried down the steps in the dark, turning on the light switch at the bottom of the steps.

"Is she still worried about Trunks?" Rei asked, slowly standing up.

"Of course she is," said Mina. "She loves him, and she's worried about him being up there... all alone.... fighting against the most ruthless band of miscreants in the galaxy..."

"I'm going to go see what Ami's up to, alright?" Bulma asked, walking over to the basement door. "Please, all of you... stay here, okay?"

"Mrs. Briefs, may I..." said Serena, standing up and tapping Bulma on the shoulder. "May I come down with you?"

Bulma smiled, politely shaking her head.

"I need to talk to her alone right now, okay?" Bulma said softly. "I'm worried about Trunks too...."

"But Ami's my best friend!" Serena protested loudly. "Anything that's bugging her is bugging me too, and if she's hurting, I'll fell really bad if I don't go to her, okay? Please..."

"I'm sorry, Serena," Bulma said, starting to walk down the stairs. "Please... stay with the others."

Bulma closed the door behind her and began the slow descent down to her basement. As she walked down the steps, she could hear several loud clanging noises and thuds, as if various items were being thrown carelessly around the room. Mixed in with the loud thuds were occasional sobs, which Bulma could hear quite audibly as she reached the bottom of the steps and saw Ami frantically searching through every cabinet and closet she could.

"Ami... what are you looking for?" Bulma asked. Ami turned around, and almost immediately Bulma could see the sadness and fear in her expression. Streams of tears were coming down the sides of her face, and her eyes were beginning to get red and puffy, as if she had been crying for quite some time. "Oh my goodness, Ami..."

"Mrs. Briefs... Bulma... I... something horrible has happened to Trunks, I just know it!" Ami shouted, pouring several Dynocaps out of a drawer that had been completely pulled out of its desk. "I'm trying to find something... some way to get to him..."

"Ami... you said you teleported Trunks to the space station, right?" Bulma asked. Ami nodded, and Bulma began to speak again. "So... why don't you guys just teleport there?"

"We only have enough magical energy to take one person," said Ami, shaking her head. "I'd go myself, but...."

"You wouldn't want to put your friends through the same thing you're going through now," Bulma said in a calm and understanding tone. "Ami... I hate to say it, but... that Capsule ship was the only one I had. The rest of this stuff is just useless old appliances... most of these Dynocaps don't even work anymore..."

"Oh... I... I understand..."

With a loud, screaming sob, Ami collapsed into Bulma's chest, her tears staining Bulma's shirt as Bulma held the hysterical girl tightly in her arms. Bulma knew what Ami was going through... she'd been having the same feelings for the past several hours, but only now did she realize the seriousness of what they meant. She wanted to cry herself, but held back her tears in order to be a pillar of strength for the girl whom she was now desperately trying to console. Suddenly, she had an idea... one that was certain to work, and one that she was surprised Ami hadn't thought of earlier... but in Ami's distress, the idea was easy to overlook. Bulma had almost let it slip her own mind...

"Ami, we could use the teleportation wand... I still have it in the kitchen... if you guys go back to your world first, you can then use it to warp right to the space station in this world, as long as you can visualize it in your mind. You can do that, right?"

Ami gasped and looked up at Bulma.

__

"Of course!" Ami thought, her worry and sadness slowly fading, replaced with the renewed hope Bulma had given her. "I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier... _hang on, Trunks... I'm coming!"_

---

So Ami and her friends are going to go save Trunks! Bit of a change from the last ficcy, isn't it? Well, that's all part of the excitement of the story! (and my court settlement with those women's lib groups... Spanish guy from SNL I'm just kidding! rimshot) So if you want more excitement, please review and tell me so!


	16. Warrior In An Angel's Arms

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Sonar de Mercury: Well, she certainly will try! Hope you like this chapter!

MWD: Hmm... right now, Trunks is a bit incapacitated, don't you think?

Erica: Yes, very poor Trunksie... but at least it's him and not Ami getting hurt! Trunks would much rather himself be in danger than Ami... She'd rather herself be hurt than him too, though...

Zyppora: Yeah... I needed to have someone BESIDES Ami getting captured. She's my fave character and I'm so mean to her! 

---

After Ami and Bulma had returned to the living room and informed the others of their plan, all of them seemed eager to go... all of them except one, that is.

"Patrick, what's the matter?" asked Cammy, looking at Patrick's worried expression with concern. "Don't you want to go help out Trunks?"

Patrick shook his head, and an angry frown appeared on Rei's face.

"I know why he doesn't want to help!" shouted Rei, still quite untrusting of the recently converted Patrick. "You're still with them, aren't you? You're just waiting for a situation like this so you can-"

"No, that's not it!" Patrick replied angrily. "You don't even understand what Pandemonium and Nikashi can do, do you? No, but I bet Trunks does!"

"Stop it, please!" Ami shouted, her hands flying up to her ears. "We can't fight like this... not if we're going to have any chance of rescuing Trunks from those... those... those vicious monsters!"

"Ami's right," said Serena, looking around to the rest of the group. "If we're going to fight the strongest warriors that the Galactic Research Armada has to offer, we're going to have to function as a team... because when we work as a team, we're impossible to beat. But if we're fighting like this, we're going to lose in no time!"

"I know, Serena..." Rei said, still glaring coldly at Patrick. "But are you really sure we can trust this guy, especially now that we're going back into the bad guys' headquarters? He might be leading us into a trap!"

"And he might be the only one who can help us rescue Trunks," said Cammy, also looking over at Patrick. "He knows the place inside and out... so if anyone can help us find Trunks wherever they've hidden him, it's Patrick..."

"Cammy, are you sure about this?" Rose asked, walking over to Cammy and whispering in her ear while pointing at Patrick. "I mean... everything he did to you..."

"Rose, you can't possibly understand what's in my head right now, okay?" Cammy said quietly, gently nudging her sister away. "I saw something in him today... the look in his eyes... he apologized to me, and I've accepted his apology... and I really think Patrick can help us."

"Trust me or not, it doesn't matter," said Patrick, leaving the group and starting to walk up the stairs toward the guest room. "If you want me to stay here and not go with you, that's fine with me. All of the things I've done... I don't deserve to be trusted."

"Wait," said Ami, gently grabbing Patrick's wrist and beginning to tug him back over to the group. "I've known Cammy for quite some time, and... I think she's quite an excellent judge of character. Plus, Patrick _does _probably know the place inside and out... if Cammy can trust him, I can trust him."

"Thank you... Ami... and Cammy," Patrick said, walking into the living room and flashing Cammy a brief smile. "I will try to assist all of you as well as I can."

"I know that you will," replied Cammy, smiling back to him.

"Well, now that everyone's ready, I think you should all get going," said Bulma, pressing a button on the teleportation wand and opening a large, swirling black energy gate. "This gate will take you to the roof where you launched the capsule ship when you went to the station the first time. Ami, you know how to operate the wand, right?"

Ami nodded, and Bulma handed her the small device.

"Once you're in your own dimension, you can use the wand to warp to the space station back here in this dimension," said Bulma. "Please... all of you, be careful..."

"We will," said Ami. "And we won't come back without Trunks."

"Wherever he is, we'll find him and we'll bring him back!" said Serena determinedly. "Is everyone ready? Then let's go!"

__

"Please, Trunks... wherever you are, be safe..." Ami thought as she and the others disappeared into the swirling gate.

---

Nikashi stood just outside the door of Trunks' prison room, her hand wrapped around the doorhandle. A smile was on her face as she pondered whether or not to enter the room where Trunks was held captive. As she debated, Pandemonium began walking down the hall, also headed for the prison room. With a squeak of surprise, Nikashi let go of the door handle and leapt out into the hallway as Pandemonium walked toward her.

"What were you doing, Nikashi?" asked Pandemonium, his eyes glancing back and forth from Nikashi to the door.

"Um... nothing, really!" Nikashi said, rapidly shaking her head back and forth. "I'll just, um... be going now!"

"Exeter thinks the Senshi are going to come for Trunks," said Pandemonium, walking toward the door and turning the handle. "I think they'd be foolish to... but Ami does love Trunks quite a lot. Maybe we'll just be seeing her here."

"I'll kill the Senshi if I see any of them!" Nikashi said, eagerly rubbing her hands together. "Pandemonium, would it be okay if I... if I just came in and took a little peek at Trunks? Please?"  
  
"No," Pandemonium said as he pushed open the door to Trunks' cell. "I don't want to see you anywhere near here."

"Fine, I don't want to see Trunks anyway!" Nikashi whined, angrily storming off down the hallway. Once she had turned the corner, Pandemonium entered the dark room and walked over to Trunks, still chained to the back wall. Though his injuries were extensive, Trunks had remained conscious the entire time he'd been imprisoned, and when Pandemonium reached out to him, Trunks lifted his head and stared straight into Pandemonium's eyes, his own eyes fixated in a gaze of hatred.

"Defiant to the end, I see..." said Pandemonium, stroking his hand across Trunks' bloody face. "Tell me, Trunks.... what would you say if I told you that your pathetic girlfriend and her equally pathetic Senshi friends are coming to save you right now?"

Trunks didn't even try to talk, knowing that the gag in his mouth would muffle any angry words he had intended to say. Instead, he continued to stare into Pandemonium's eyes, his gaze becoming angrier and more furious by the second.

"And what if I told you that I just commanded Nikashi to kill them all on sight, including your beloved Ami? They're all going to come, you know they will... or at least Ami, by herself. What if she did come by herself? I'd kill her quickly, but you never know what Nikashi will do... she's quite vicious, I'm sure you know that for a fact."

Again, Trunks continued to stare, his eyes narrowing as he thought of all the things he would do to Pandemonium if he could just get free and regain his strength. He tugged at the chains weakly, but the pain that resulted from even his tiniest motion discouraged any thoughts of revenge that might have been brewing in Trunks' mind.

"What if Nikashi brought her here, Trunks? Think if it... her blood on the floor, just like yours... her body battered, just like yours... her cries mingling with your muffled screams, her eyes filled with tears... and you helpless to do anything about it! Trunks, they're going to die trying to save you! They're all going to die! Ami's going to die because of you!"

That did it. Trunks let out a loud, muffled scream of anguish that filled the entire room, and several tears began to fall down the sides of his face. Pandemonium smiled approvingly, and then punched Trunks in the ribs, causing Trunks to scream again, though this time it was a scream of physical pain instead of emotional anguish. The pain Trunks was feeling in his body was nothing compared to the mental wounds inflicted by Pandemonium's words. As the tears continued to fall, Trunks knew exactly how true those words might soon become.

__

"Ami... if you can possibly hear me... don't come for me... I don't want anything to happen to you... Ami, please don't!" Trunks thought.

Satisfied, Pandemonium left the room, closing and locking the door and leaving Trunks alone once more in the darkness.

---

Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina had transformed back into the Sailor Senshi and were now standing on the roof with Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick. Ami held Bulma's transportation wand firmly in her right hand.

"So this is where you guys blasted off from when you went to rescue me..." Cammy said in a fascinated tone, looking around. "Cool! We're up pretty high..."

"Hopefully this wand will get us to the space station just as quickly," said Sailor Moon.

"Or quicker," replied Sailor Mercury. "Much quicker... _Trunks is counting on us, and every second is important..."_

Sailor Mercury held out the wand and pressed a button. Suddenly, a swirling black gate was created, similar to the one Bulma had made. Mercury handed the wand to Patrick, who placed it in the pocket of his jumpsuit.

"Well... we'd better get in there," said Sailor Jupiter, slowly walking toward the gate.

__

"I'm coming, Trunks..." thought Sailor Mercury. She stepped into the gate, followed by the other Senshi, the sisters, and finally, Patrick. Then, the gate closed. Sailor Mercury knew that her life, as well as the lives of her friends, would be put in more danger than they ever had before. But she also knew that somewhere deep within the space station, Trunks was suffering, and he desperately needed her help. _"If I fail... at least I'll still be with you in the afterlife... no, I can't think about that! I have to save you, Trunks! I will save you!"_

---

The nine warriors appeared in a hallway near the center of the space station. Sailor Moon noticed a direction sign on the wall that indicated that one way down the hall led further toward the center, while another way led into one of the spokes.

"We should probably head toward the center of this thing, since that's where Trunks probably is," said Sailor Moon. "Ami, didn't Trunks say he was going to fight whoever ran this place?"

Ami nodded.

"Let's hurry," she said, running down the hall in the direction that led to the center of the station. "C'mon!"

"She certainly is in a hurry," said Angela, following Sailor Mercury down the hall. _"I just hope she knows what she's doing..."_

When the Senshi got to the end of the hall, they reached a large room similar to the one where Trunks had fought Pandemonium. It wasn't the same room, but it did have the same purpose. It was a room for giving instructions to large amounts of troops at once, before they began their missions. Unlike the room Trunks and Pandemonium had fought in, this room had another way in (or out, if need be), a large opening at the very back. When Sailor Mercury charged into the large room, she ran straight for the opening, knowing that Trunks was somewhere beyond the large room she was currently in. As she reached a point about halfway into the room, she could see someone else entering the room from the other side. A glance at the glowing red whip being carried in the person's hand immediately indicated their identity to Sailor Mercury.

"Nikashi!" shouted Sailor Mercury, stopping in her tracks. The other Senshi, as well as Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick, stopped behind her. Nikashi cackled and leapt the great distance from the back of the room to the center, where she stood just a few feet from the group of heroes as she began to speak.

"Pandemonium was right... you did come for him," said Nikashi, a sadistic smile on her face. "This certainly will be interesting..."

"Where's Trunks?" Sailor Mercury shouted furiously. "What have you done with him?"

Nikashi began cackling again, and Sailor Mercury's fists began to glow and pulsate with magical energy.

"Oh, that's really none of your concern, now is it?" Nikashi asked. "Your boyfriend just received the beating of his life from a far superior fighter. I tried to warn him that his pathetic ki was no match for our magical energy, but he just wouldn't listen... you should have heard him scream. Oh, wait, you're not really into that sort of thing, are you? Figures. Nerds like you are just no fun!"

Nikashi's eyes scanned the group until she spotted Patrick, standing toward the back of the group, next to Cammy. An angry look was on his face.

"So, the prodigal son has returned, has he? I thought the Senshi destroyed you, just like Pandemonium's other pathetic soldiers. Well, I'm sure Pandemonium will be absolutely glad to see you. I'll have to tell him you're here... no, maybe I'll just deliver your treacherous corpse. I'm sure he'll understand."

"I'm never working for Pandemonium again," said Patrick. "I've realized that everything I did has had terrible effects on the people I've harmed, and I almost made a mistake that I could never take back, no matter what. That's when I realized that I had to stop all of this... stop all of this evil... I'm here to put an end to all of your wicked ways!"

"Is that... is that it?" Nikashi shouted, beginning to laugh yet again. "Like I said, you're just like all of Pandemonium's other soldiers... pathetic and weak. Just like Trunks! Oh, Ami, you missed such a wonderful beating... I held him while Pandemonium beat the life out of him, every ounce of energy he had! He was screaming, and crying, and begging us to stop, but Pandemonium just kept hitting him, and hitting him, and it was absolutely delicious!"

Sailor Mercury's body trembled as Nikashi told her of the horrors Trunks had suffered at Pandemonium and Nikashi's terrible hands. She could feel an incredible rage overtaking her entire body, which began to glow with an awesome blue light. Her arms lit up most of all, as she began concentrating energy in them for a large blast. As Nikashi began to laugh, a high-pitched, ear-shattering, screaming laugh that rang the Senshi's ears like a bell, Sailor Mercury could no longer stand still, her rage threatening to explode. Finally, she herself began to scream.

"Shut... the hell... UP!!!" Sailor Mercury shouted, and suddenly, Nikashi could feel her lips quickly freezing shut as an ice wave flew out from Sailor Mercury's body and engulfed the powerful witch, freezing her entire body solid. Her cackles quickly became muffled squeaks, and then only silence. The glow around Sailor Mercury's body became even more prominent, and the others could only watch in shock as their friend prepared to attack. Suddenly, an explosion of red light burst forth from Nikashi, and the ice around her was vaporized in an instant. In a second instant, her whip lashed across Sailor Mercury's stomach, creating a large gash and knocking the blue-haired Senshi back into the arms of her friends.

"Sailor Mercury!" shouted Sailor Moon as she caught her friend, careful not to aggravate the gash across her stomach. "Are you alright?"

"Let me... go... Sailor Moon..." Sailor Mercury groaned, quickly standing up and retaining her energy glow, completely ignoring her injury. "I'm going to destroy Nikashi, and everyone else that harmed Trunks!"

"We're right behind you, Sailor Mercury!" Sailor Mars said, stepping forward. "Don't think we're gonna let you do this alone!"

"That's right!" said Sailor Jupiter, her own body beginning to glow with magical energy. "We're taking Nikashi down together!"

"We want to save Trunks just as badly as you do!" said Sailor Venus, leaping forward and preparing her own attack.

"That's right!" said Rose, running up to face Nikashi alongside her sisters and the Sailor Senshi.

"Don't forget about me," said Patrick, stepping forward. "I can atone for my sins only after you are defeated!"

"The Sailor Senshi and their allies can never lose!" declared Sailor Moon, pointing at Nikashi. "And in the name of the Moon... we'll punish you!"

Nikashi began to cackle again, debasing the seriousness of the Senshi's speech.

"Oh, you're going to punish me? How kinky! But nine on one really isn't fair, is it? Oh well... I guess I'm just going to have to compensate by fighting as dirty as I possibly can!"

Nikashi pointed her arms at the Sailor Senshi, Patrick, and the sisters, and began firing magical energy blast after magical energy blast, quickly engulfing all nine heroes in a gigantic energy cloud. Suddenly, a blast of ice energy emerged from the cloud, hitting Nikashi squarely in the arm and freezing it instantly. The cold energy blast had been fired by Sailor Mercury, who then ran out of the cloud at Nikashi and punched her in the face as hard as she could, her fist glowing with a bright blue aura. The punch caused Nikashi to recoil for a split second, but she then responded with a punch of her own, striking Mercury in the chest and knocking her down to the ground, flat on her back. Just as she'd shaken off Sailor Mercury, three more Senshi, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, ran out of the cloud, each of them firing flurries of magical energy blasts. Nikashi leapt away from the blasts and the charging Senshi, watching as the mass of fire, lightning, and energy exploded harmlessly just a few feet away. She barely had time to take a breath before a cloud of razor-sharp flower petals washed over her. The petals sliced by quickly, none of them strong enough to damage Nikashi as they had done with Pandemonium's lieutenants. The girl who had fired the petals, Angela, stepped back when she realized her attack had been futile, trying to get away from the now annoyed Nikashi as quickly as possible. Suddenly, Nikashi's whip tightened around Angela's ankle, and with one quick, flinging motion, the girl was flung all the way across the room and into the back of the room, her body making a loud thud as her back and the back of her head collided with the hard, metallic wall. As she slumped helplessly against the wall, Nikashi pointed her arm at the weakened girl and began to charge an energy blast. Suddenly, a long, thorny vine wrapped around Nikashi's ankle and began tugging strongly, trying to pull her off of the ground.

"Let's see... how you... like it..." said Rose, straining to budge the powerful Nikashi with her magical vine. Nikashi looked down and began to laugh until she saw a tiny stream of blood trickling down her ankle, made from one of the thorns on the vine. With an angry cry, Nikashi blasted Rose away with a powerful sphere of magical energy, knocking the poor girl to the ground and creating a large, smoldering burn on her stomach.

"Didn't I ever tell you that I don't like the taste of my own medicine?" asked Nikashi, smiling as she walked over to the incapacitated Rose.

"Then I don't think you'll like this!" Cammy shouted, blasting Nikashi from behind with a flurry of small, green energy spheres. The blasts quickly engulfed Nikashi, who turned around and growled, the blasts making tiny burn marks on her skin wherever they made contact.

"Those blasts are like pin-pricks to me... but they're still annoying!" shrieked Nikashi. Suddenly, she was blasted from the other direction with a frigid, icy energy wave. The attack did no real harm to Nikashi with the exception of making the air around her body very, very cold. Immediately suspecting Sailor Mercury of the attack, Nikashi was very surprised to see an angry-looking Patrick standing behind her, charging up yet another attack.

"I see Cammy's caused you a bit of damage," said Patrick, noticing the tiny burns on Nikashi's skin. "Allow me to cause you a bit more."

Patrick lunged forward at Nikashi, only to get her deadly whip lashed across his forehead, knocking him down to the ground in an instant. As his head hit, he nearly passed out, then shook his head, stunned by the whip's power. He felt blood dripping slowly down his forehead, and let out a loud, pained groan.

"I always knew Pandemonium's servants were weak," said Nikashi, walking over to Patrick, her whip firmly grasped in her right hand. "I'll do him a favor by finishing off the last one."

"Don't you dare!" Cammy shouted, intensifying her rain of blasts on Nikashi. Without a word, Nikashi turned around and blasted Cammy with one large ball of fire, knocking the green-haired girl all the way back into the wall, next to her sister Angela, who had just stood up from Nikashi's last attack on her. When Cammy hit the wall, she let out a loud scream, and Patrick winced and clenched his teeth, not wanting to see Cammy hurt again. He rapidly rose to his feet, gathering up a large amount of magical energy in his fists.

"Leave her alone, she's been through enough!" Patrick shouted, angrier than he'd ever been.

"Oh, really?" Nikashi replied. "What's she been through that's so bad? Oh, wait... I think Pandemonium told me. Yes, I remember now... you tortured her, didn't you?"

Patrick's face softened, and his lip began to quiver. Nikashi smiled.

"Of course you did, Pandemonium told me all about it," Nikashi said, enjoying the effect her words were having on the remorseful Patrick. "You tied her to a pipe, and-"

"Stop it..." Patrick said, starting to shake his head. "Stop it..."

"And then you hit her in the face, didn't you?" continued Nikashi, her smile becoming larger and larger. "My goodness, you're almost as sadistic as I am, you know that?"

"Stop it..." said Patrick, his fists tightly clenching. "I'm sorry, Cammy... I'm so sorry..."

"I think he said stop," shouted Sailor Moon, appearing out of nowhere in front of Nikashi. Her fist crashed into the side of Nikashi's face, causing Nikashi to stumble back, having not expected the punch at all. Sailor Moon followed up the punch by pointing her henshin stick at Nikashi and releasing her magical energy.

"Moon... Purification..."

Concentrating as much energy as she could, Sailor Moon blasted Nikashi at full-force. A brilliant white light engulfed Nikashi, who let out a loud scream as the white-hot blast engulfed her entire body, bathing it in purifying magical energy. When the light had disappeared, Nikashi could still feel a lingering pain, which emanated throughout her entire body for just a few seconds before finally subsiding. When Nikashi looked up again, she could see all nine heroes standing around her in a circle, all of them glowing brightly with powerful magical energy auras. Cammy was now standing next to Patrick, still shaken after Nikashi had brought up the horrible things he had done to Cammy. She glanced over at him and immediately noticed that his body was trembling.

"What did she say to you?" Cammy asked him.

"Nothing," said Patrick, shaking his head. "It was-"

"It was something... please, tell me," said Cammy, reaching her hand out to Patrick and walking closer to him. "Please... it was about earlier, wasn't it?"

Patrick nodded, but didn't say a word.

"Don't let her do that to you, okay? It's over, I've already said it's over, and that's the only thing that matters. Right now, the important thing is beating Nikashi and rescuing Trunks, so stop thinking about the past and let's focus on this fight right now!"

Patrick nodded again. Cammy's frown changed into a smile, and Patrick replied by smiling back at her. The whole time that exchange was going on, Sailor Moon had been speaking to Sailor Mercury, who was standing next to her in the circle.

"I can't leave you guys, not now!" said Sailor Mercury, looking around the circle at the rest of her friends. "You guys need me to use the Sailor Planet Power attack, which is probably the only chance we have to beat Nikashi!"

"I know, but right now, Trunks needs you too... and we can use the Planet Power attack without you, Ami... it won't be too much weaker!" replied Sailor Moon. "You heard what Nikashi said about Trunks... he's been beaten, and they're probably holding him captive somewhere! You've got a psychic connection with him, Ami... if you get close, you'll be able to ask him where he is..."

"But Serena...."

In her heart, Sailor Mercury knew that Sailor Moon was right. She had to get to Trunks as soon as possible... he could be dying, even as she spoke. But Nikashi was an incredibly powerful foe, and if Sailor Mercury left her friends now, they would be in an enormous amount of danger.

__

"The Sailor Senshi fight as a team... I have to stay with them, as long as I can!" thought Sailor Mercury. _"But Trunks... he's in so much danger... so much pain... what should I do?"_

Just then, a large blast of magical energy exploded right next to her, engulfing Sailor Moon in a cloud of burning red smoke. The smoke cleared quickly, revealing Sailor Moon protected by a glowing barrier of her own magical energy.

"Ami, go!" shouted Sailor Moon through the barrier. "We'll stall Nikashi... you have to find Trunks, now!"

Again, Sailor Mercury hesitated.

"Oh no, you're not leaving!" shouted Nikashi, cracking her whip in Sailor Mercury's direction. "You're staying right here and-"

Suddenly, Sailor Mars flew in front of the whip before its tip could hit Sailor Mercury, causing her own wrists to be encircled in its deadly and painful grasp.

"Sailor Moon's right, Ami... you have to get to Trunks," said Sailor Mars, gritting her teeth as the whip dug into her flesh. "We'll be alright..."

"Sailor... Sailor Mars..." said Sailor Mercury weakly, reaching out toward her endangered friend. _"No... no, they're right... once I find Trunks, we can both come back and help the others! I just hope they can hold on until I get back..."_

With a great deal of trepidation, Sailor Mercury dashed away, running through the large opening at the back of the room which led even deeper into the center of the space station.

"Thank you all so much!" Sailor Mercury shouted back to her friends as she left. "I promise I'll find Trunks soon and come back to help you all! _Please be alive when I get back..."_

As she continued to run, tears began streaming down Sailor Mercury's face as the guilt of leaving her friends began to sink in. She slowed down her running, and finally came to a stop at the entrance of another large, wide-open room. Outside the room, there was a long hallway to the left, another to the right, the hallway behind Sailor Mercury, and then the large room itself. This was the room where Trunks and Pandemonium had done battle, though Sailor Mercury didn't find that out until she saw the large pools of dried blood on the floor, still there after the great battle, several hours before. She recognized the smell of Trunks' blood from his other battles, and immediately gasped when she realized where she was.

__

"This is where... oh my God, there's so much blood here... so much of Trunks' blood..."

Sailor Mercury collapsed in the middle of one of the dark red puddles and put her head in her hands, sobbing violently.

"Trunks!!" Sailor Mercury cried, her tears falling like streams into the sticky puddle of Trunks' dried-up blood. "You... you must have suffered so much... oh, Trunks... I'm so sorry... I should have gotten here earlier... I should have gotten here when I first felt that feeling that something was happening to you... why didn't I recognize it earlier? Trunks..."

For nearly thirty seconds, Sailor Mercury continued to cry, screaming out into the empty expanse of the room, screaming Trunks' name, futilely hoping that her tears would somehow bring him back.

"Well, well, well," came a loud male voice from the entrance of the room. "Look who came to swim in the blood of her beloved."

Sailor Mercury knew the voice immediately to be Pandemonium's. She stood up and turned around, rage once again overtaking her usually calm and gentle expression. Her tears continued to fall, even as she clenched her fists, overcome with anger and grief.

"All you can ever think of is hurting people..." Sailor Mercury said through her tightly clenched teeth, her blue aura swirling like a torrent around her body. "You've caused Trunks so much pain..."

"Nikashi's the one who thinks about hurting people," replied Pandemonium. "I simply wish to kill them. If it was up to me, Trunks wouldn't be suffering right now, he'd be dead."

"Shut up!" shouted Sailor Mercury, as loud as she could. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Trunks! I don't care how much stronger you are than me, I _will _find a way to make you regret ever hurting the man I love!"

Several large beams of blue magical energy flew upward out of Sailor Mercury's body, then turned and zipped across the room, all slamming into Pandemonium at the same time and creating a gigantic blue explosion. As Sailor Mercury looked into the cloud of destruction thrown up by the attack, she could see Pandemonium casually walking out of it, coated in a thin layer of ice. His energy aura appeared, dissolving the ice completely. Then, he flew at Sailor Mercury and swung his forearm into her face before she could react. The blow knocked her to the ground and created a large, purple bruise on her cheek where Pandemonium's arm had impacted. Then, Pandemonium pointed his arm at Sailor Mercury and fired a small energy blast at her. Undaunted, Sailor Mercury fired a small blast of her own. The two blasts met in the middle, pushing at one another and allowing Sailor Mercury to stand as she kept up the strength of the blast. As soon as she had stood up, Pandemonium's blast overtook her own and blasted her back several feet. She remained standing, but she now had a small burn on her hand caused by the blast.

"I sense a great power coming from you, Sailor Mercury..." said Pandemonium, slowly walking toward her. "You're quite determined to save him, aren't you?

Sailor Mercury slowly stepped back as Pandemonium continued toward her, keeping a glowing magical energy aura around her body at all times.

"I thought he was the one that was supposed to be saving you," said Pandemonium. "He saved you from Frieza, didn't he? You must have felt so pathetic and weak, watching him fight so hard to save you. What were you thinking, Sailor Mercury, or should I say Ami, as you watched him being pummeled to within an inch of his life?"

Sailor Mercury continued to step back, trying her hardest not to let Pandemonium's words shake her confidence and determination. She knew that if she failed to defeat Pandemonium, she would never see Trunks again. That thought brought a tear to her eye as Pandemonium continued to speak.

"Mercifully, he's not watching you now... but I'll be sure to tell him once you're dead," said Pandemonium. "How it was all his fault that you died so horribly. How you had to suffer because he was so weak."

Sailor Mercury stopped, holding her ground and Pandemonium continued to walk toward her. Her fists clenched again.

"Because of him, you're going to suffer. Because of him, you're going to die."

Sailor Mercury's fists shined brightly with light. She now knew what she had to do.

Lunging toward Pandemonium, she screamed, "I would go through a million years of torture just to be with Trunks for a single second!" and then struck Pandemonium in the jaw, as hard as she possibly could. As he stumbled back, Sailor Mercury shook her fingers in the air, as her blow had sent a wave of pain coursing through her delicate hand. When she looked back at Pandemonium, she saw something that caused her to gasp. A thin stream of blood was trickling down the side of his lip, where Sailor Mercury had punched him.

__

"I can't believe I hit him that hard..." she thought, looking down at her hand. A tiny rip had appeared on her glove, over the knuckle of her index finger. A tiny cut had been opened in her skin under the rip. _"I think my knuckle might be broken..."_

When Pandemonium felt the stream of blood coming down his chin, he was furious. He turned around and blasted Sailor Mercury in the chest with a lavender energy sphere, knocking her up into the air and then crashing down to the ground on her back. She screamed and took in a sharp breath when she hit the ground, but quickly rose to her feet and prepared to attack again.

"I expected to bleed when I fought Trunks, but... not from a weak little punch by a pathetic little Sailor witch like you!" shouted Pandemonium, his own energy aura pulsating as brightly as Sailor Mercury's. "Now you're going to die!"

Pandemonium pointed his hand at Sailor Mercury and fired off several large, lavender spheres, the same attack he'd used to absorb Trunks' ki blasts. Sailor Mercury glanced up at the spheres for a brief moment before pointing her hands toward them and charging up an attack.

__

"I hope this works..." Sailor Mercury thought. "Mercury... Infusion..."

A large sphere of energy appeared just in front of Sailor Mercury's outstretched hands. Suddenly, she ran straight at Pandemonium's blasts, stopping just short of them before finishing her attack.

"MAELSTROM!!!" Sailor Mercury shouted, releasing the stored energies of her attack in a huge explosion that engulfed all of Pandemonium's spheres, disintegrating them and creating a huge dome of magical energy around her body. Pandemonium stared into the dome for a few seconds as it continued to glow and then slowly faded away. When the attack was finished, Sailor Mercury was standing just a few feet away from Pandemonium, completely unharmed. She pointed her hand at him and fired a blast of ice magic, hitting him in the chest and knocking him back. Then, she fired several blasts into the air just above Pandemonium, creating large spikes of solid ice that hung just over his head. When she lowered her hand, the spikes dropped, slamming into Pandemonium and shattering on contact, bathing him in both shards of ice and magical energy, creating temperatures of nearly two hundred degrees below zero in the immediate vicinity around his body. The attack finally ceased, leaving Pandemonium shivering on the ground, on one knee. Sailor Mercury was breathing heavily just a few feet away, exhausted from using her attack, which had taken far more energy to use than she had anticipated.

"Your little blizzard was quite impressive," said Pandemonium, shivering slightly as he stood up. "But as you can see, I'm completely unharmed..."

"I wouldn't say that," Sailor Mercury said, pointing directly at her opponent. "You're still shivering..."

"Hurt and cold are two different things, my dear," said Pandemonium. "I'm cold. You're hurt."

As soon as he'd finished his sentence, Pandemonium blasted Sailor Mercury with a lavender energy sphere. She had no time to dodge, and was knocked flat on her back by the deadly blast. When she fell, her ankle twisted slightly under her, and she could feel a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower leg as she impacted the ground.

__

"Damn, that's probably a bad sprain..." Sailor Mercury thought, her hand instinctively clutching her injured ankle. _"I can't let this faze me... Trunks has fought with injuries far more severe than this!"_

Sailor Mercury stood up again, grimacing in pain as her ankle throbbed within her large, blue boot. Pandemonium could tell that Sailor Mercury's ankle had been hurt, and he immediately tried to take advantage, firing another sphere of energy, this time directly at the injured appendage. Replying almost immediately, Sailor Mercury countered Pandemonium's blast with a magical blast of her own. The two blasts nullified each other, causing Pandemonium to give an annoyed groan.

"Just because that blast didn't get through doesn't mean the rest of them won't," said Pandemonium, charging up two more energy blasts in his hands. "This battle will soon be over!"

"You're right, Pandemonium... and soon, Trunks will be free and in my arms again," replied Sailor Mercury. _"I promise, Trunks..."_

---

While Sailor Mercury had been fighting Pandemonium, the other Senshi, the sisters, and Patrick had been struggling against Nikashi, trying their best to hold off the powerful witch so that Sailor Mercury could find Trunks in time to save his life. Though all the heroes had fought hard, Sailor Moon was the only one who had been doing any real damage to Nikashi. She was the one who had freed Sailor Mars after Sailor Mercury had left, and soon after, she'd been able to knock Nikashi to the ground. Nikashi soon recovered, however, and was now once again facing all eight Senshi, her energy aura radiating stronger than ever.

"I can't believe you fools are still alive!" shouted Nikashi, frustrated that she hadn't yet been able to exterminate her persistent opponents. _"I just hope I'm not getting rusty..."_

"We'll fight until you're defeated, Nikashi!" Sailor Moon shouted back. "We'll never surrender!"

Sailor Moon fired another blast from her henshin stick at Nikashi, this time directed straight at her head. Nikashi smiled and ducked down, thinking that the blast had passed harmlessly over her. But when the blast slammed into the wall, the huge explosion created by its impact hit Nikashi squarely in the back, knocking her forward and sending her straight toward the other Senshi.

"Mars Flame..."

"Venus Love Chain..."

"Jupiter Oak..."

The Senshi concentrated their energies and blasted Nikashi simultaneously, at point-blank range. At the same time, the three sisters pointed their hands at Nikashi and blasted her with a powerful array of magical energy beams. The six beams all hit Nikashi at the same time, exploding and sending her flying back into the wall. Patrick then lunged forward and sprayed a powerful icy mist, covering Nikashi's torso and lower body and freezing her arms and legs to the wall.

"What in the... damn you!" Nikashi shouted, gathering up her energy to break free. "I'll show you..."

But before she could even move, Sailor Moon pressed her henshin stick into Nikashi's chest and released an incredible energy blast, which pushed Sailor Moon backward as it expanded out from Nikashi and the wall. Nikashi began to scream as the potent blast burned away at her flesh, more powerful than anything she'd felt since she'd fought Trunks a few days earlier. The blast ceased, and Nikashi slumped over, her head drooping to her chest. The large, smoldering burn just above Nikashi's stomach indicated the severity of Sailor Moon's attack, and Nikashi appeared to be unconscious as she hung lifelessly from the wall.

"Is it... over?" Sailor Moon said, stepping back and letting her arms fall to her sides, her henshin stick still clutched in her right hand.

"I don't think so, Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mars, pointing at Nikashi. "Her energy... it's still strong!"

"Sailor Moon, look out!" Rose screamed, pointing at Nikashi, who was suddenly alert and looking straight at the oblivious Moon Senshi. Suddenly, the ice holding Nikashi to the wall shattered, and her whip swung out, encircling Sailor Moon's neck and tightening, pulling her in close. Nikashi tugged the whip again, choking Sailor Moon even tighter and causing a thin stream of blood to begin sliding down her lips.

"Let her go, right now!" shouted Sailor Jupiter. She prepared to blast Nikashi, but stopped when she realized Sailor Moon was being held right in front of the evil witch as a choking, gasping human shield. Nikashi smiled and reached around her helpless captive, blasting Sailor Jupiter in the stomach with a small blast of energy and knocking her back into the arms of Rose and Angela, who had been standing just behind her.

"Patrick, we have to do something!" shouted Cammy. Patrick was standing next to her with a look of intense worry on his face, as if he knew something she didn't. "Patrick?"

__

"I've seen Nikashi decapitate someone with that whip before..." Patrick thought, recalling a horrific incident from years past. _"If she squeezes on Sailor Moon's neck much tighter, it will easily happen again..."_

"Tell me how it feels now that you're the one in pain, Sailor Moon!" shouted Nikashi with a smile on her face. All Sailor Moon could do in response was choke out a few garbled sounds, and with a giggle, Nikashi pulled the whip even tighter around Sailor Moon's neck, causing even more blood to drip from the rapidly choking Senshi's lips. Sailor Moon's face was beginning to turn blue, and it was clear she could pass out at any moment. Her arms fell limp, and her henshin stick fell to the ground.

__

"If I don't think of something, I'm going to choke to death!" Sailor Moon thought, trying desperately to escape Nikashi's grasp. _"Didn't Trunks get in a situation just like this? Ami told me Nikashi tried to choke him... what did he do? How did he manage to escape? Maybe Ami helped him... maybe it was a bad idea to let Ami go..."_

"Guys, the only way we're going to save Sailor Moon is if we attack Nikashi now," said Patrick. "Otherwise, Nikashi's whip will slice Sailor Moon's head right off."

"Attack now, with Sailor Moon right in front of her?" Sailor Mars shouted. "You're crazy!"

"Our attacks will hit Sailor Moon!" Rose yelled. "We'll be hurting her just as much as Nikashi!"

"We don't have a choice," said Patrick, readying an attack to fire at Nikashi, knowing full well that it would hit Sailor Moon as well. "At least this gives us a chance..."

But before Patrick could attack, Cammy leapt in front of him, her arms outstretched. Patrick stopped his attack and lowered his arms to his sides.

"What's wrong?" shouted Patrick, looking past Cammy towards Nikashi and Sailor Moon. "It's the only way to-"

"Let me," said Cammy, turning back toward Nikashi and Sailor Moon. _"Forgive me if this hurts too much, Serena..."_

Suddenly, Cammy fired a large magical blast directly at the two girls. The huge green beam barreled straight toward Sailor Moon's chest, and Nikashi began to laugh, thinking that the beam would barrel right into her hostage. Just before it reached her, however, it scattered into dozens of tiny beams, which billowed outward from the main beam, looped around Sailor Moon, and slammed into Nikashi at the same time. Nikashi screamed when the blasts hit her, releasing her hold on the whip and at the same time loosening it from Sailor Moon's neck. Sailor Moon pulled the whip from her throat and ran back toward the other Senshi, stopping just in front of them and collapsing to the ground, blood streaming from her mouth.

"Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, rushing toward their fallen princess. "Are you-"

Sailor Moon nodded and waved them off, slowly climbing back to her feet.

"I think.... I'll be fine..." she said in a raspy voice, stumbling back to the front of the group while still clutching her throat.

"That was my new Scatter Beam attack," whispered Cammy to Patrick, who had smiled as Cammy's beams took their toll on Nikashi. "I've never used it before, so that's why I wanted to try it out here... it looks like it works pretty well, doesn't it?"

"That was amazing," Patrick whispered back, still smiling at Cammy. "I never knew you were so talented at creating attacks... if you'd used that on me during our battle, I'd probably be dead right now."

Cammy shook her head.

"Give yourself a little bit of credit," Cammy replied, pointing at Nikashi, who had shaken off the effects of Cammy's attack and was now hopping mad. "It wasn't really that powerful of an attack..."

"I'll destroy you pathetic Senshi, once and for all!" shouted Nikashi, her whip once again clutched menacingly in her right hand. "I'll start with that little green-haired girl who ruined my plan to kill the leader of the Sailor Senshi!"

As Cammy began to shiver, her older sister Rose stepped forward with an attack of her own. She pointed her arm at Nikashi and fired a long, thorny rose vine, aimed at Nikashi's midsection. Nikashi smiled and sidestepped the vine, then pointed her arm at Cammy yet again.

"Nice try, but don't worry... you'll get your turn to die soon enough! Right now, it's your little sister's turn, and she looks awfully scared..."

Suddenly, the vine came back, looping around behind Nikashi and then flying forward again before coming back around, making several full circles around Nikashi. As Nikashi began to wonder what was going on, the vines constricted, tightly pinning Nikashi's arms to her sides."Damn you!" shouted Nikashi, beginning to tug free from the vines' grasp. "I'm going to make you pay, now!"

"Now!" shouted Angela, rushing forward and bombarding Nikashi with magical energy blasts. Cammy did the same, and soon, Nikashi was engulfed in a large cloud of fire and smoke, created by dozens of blasts all hitting the same target at once.

"I think it's time for a Planet Power attack, girls!" shouted Sailor Moon, the strength in her voice having returned. Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus nodded, clasping hands in a circle around Nikashi, still trapped in Rose's vines and the smoke from Angela and Cammy's energy blasts. They quickly began focusing all of their energies, hoping that their attack would still be effective, even without Sailor Mercury's help.

__

"I hope this works..." thought Angela, still bombarding Nikashi with blasts while being careful not to hit the chanting Senshi.

"SAILOR... PLANET... POWER!!!"

A shining column of energy crashed down on Nikashi, knocking all four Senshi away and blasting Angela and Cammy to the ground. They stood up and gasped as they saw a brilliant pillar of light, emanating from the spot where Nikashi had once stood.

"Is she... is she dead?" asked Cammy meekly, squinting into the light and trying to make out anything resembling Nikashi. Suddenly, she could hear Sailor Moon calling something out from the back of the room.

"She's probably not dead, but she's definitely distracted now, and that's all we need!" shouted Sailor Moon, beckoning the others toward the exit. "We've got to go help Sailor Mercury now!"

"But what if Nikashi's still alive?" asked Sailor Mars, darting toward her leader.

"It doesn't matter, we have to go see if Sailor Mercury's alright!" replied Sailor Moon, dashing out of the room. "Everybody, hurry up!"

---

A large wall of ice was the only thing protecting Sailor Mercury from Pandemonium's energy blasts, which bombarded the thick ice barrier she'd erected to protect herself while she thought up a plan of attack.

__

"I can't stall this fight forever!" Sailor Mercury thought. _"Trunks needs me... I have to incapacitate Pandemonium somehow! I can't freeze him, I've already tried that... what can I do?"_

Sailor Mercury's thoughts were rudely interrupted when one of Pandemonium's energy spheres shattered the barrier and slammed into her, creating a explosion that sent her tumbling across the room, her back and sides hitting the floor several times before the water Senshi finally came to a stop, moaning in pain on the ground as Pandemonium slowly walked toward her. She'd been knocked into one of the dried-up puddles of Trunks' blood still present in the room, and the thought that all of that blood represented so much of Trunks' pain made her sick to her stomach. She dry-heaved once, but managed to keep her nausea under control as she rose to her feet, continuing to ignore the pain in her limbs.

"I will do this..." she said to herself, repeating it several times. "I will save Trunks... I will not let him suffer any longer..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Pandemonium as he walked right up to Sailor Mercury and stood just a few feet away, preparing to attack her again. "I think I'll shut you up for good!"

Pandemonium's fist came screaming toward Sailor Mercury's face. As it did, she could feel an incredible strength, filling her entire body and giving her a prodigious sense of confidence that she'd been lacking the entire fight. Suddenly, and completely unexpectedly, she reached up and caught Pandemonium's fist in her right hand, squeezing it as tightly as she could. Blood ran down her knuckle, the wound she'd sustained earlier by punching Pandemonium in the face opening up as her fingers clamped down tighter and tighter on Pandemonium's fist. She'd stopped one of his punches cold, and was determined to inflict pain on him like he'd inflicted on Trunks, her protector, her light, her beloved, her life... all of the anger, all of the pain came boiling to the surface... Sailor Mercury... no, Ami Mizuno, would not lose this fight... not now, not _ever!_

"Ami!" shouted Sailor Moon from the room's entrance. "Ami, we'll take over from here! You have to look for Trunks!"

Pandemonium pulled his fist out of Sailor Mercury's grasp and turned to face his challenger. There, standing all the way across from him at the front of the room were Sailor Mercury's teammates... her companions... her friends, all just as determined to see Sailor Mercury save Trunks as Sailor Mercury was about saving Trunks herself. She also turned toward her friends, and slowly shook her head.

"No, Sailor Moon... I can't... I can't let you fight Pandemonium..."

"But... we got past Nikashi, didn't we?" asked Sailor Moon, stepping slowly into the room as the others trailed silently behind her. "Let us take care of this guy... you've got to help Trunks!"

"No!" shouted Pandemonium, kicking at Sailor Mercury's head as fast as he could. Sailor Mercury reached up with both of her hands and caught Pandemonium's foot, catching him off-balance. When she released his foot, he fell to the ground, giving Sailor Mercury all the time she needed to dash past Pandemonium and into Sailor Moon's arms, wrapping up her friend in a tight, grateful embrace.

"Serena... I'm so glad you're alright... I'm so glad everyone's alright!" said Sailor Mercury, tears beginning to come to her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Thank you all so much..."

"You're welcome, Ami... now go save Trunks like we all came here to do, okay?" Sailor Moon replied happily, returning the hug as tightly as she could. After several seconds of hugging, Sailor Mercury slowly released her friend and ran toward the entrance of the room.

"Thank you!" she shouted back at her friends, a relieved smile on her face. "I don't know how you beat Nikashi, but I'm really glad you did... thank all of you so much! I'm so glad you're safe!"

As soon as Sailor Mercury left the room, she looked to the left, and then to the right, sure that Trunks was somewhere down one of the hallways. After a few seconds of deliberation, something deep within her heart told her to run to the right. She did, and after dashing past several doors and turning a couple of corners, she could begin to hear a faint sound, echoing inside of her head.

__

"Ami..."

The voice sounded faint and weak, and Sailor Mercury immediately recognized it as Trunks, calling out to her with his thoughts. Before she could reply, even more words came.

__

"I'm sorry.... Ami... please be safe... Ami..."

"Trunks?" Sailor Mercury replied, dashing down the hallway as fast as she could. As she ran, she could hear the voice becoming stronger and stronger within her head. _"Is that you? Are you alright?"_

"Oh my god... is that... is that really... can it be?" Trunks replied, his thoughts reflecting a sense of hopeful desperation. _"Please... please let it be..."_

"It is Ami, Trunks... it's me... I'm coming, don't worry!" Sailor Mercury thought. As she reached the end of the hallway she was in, she could see an old metallic sign pointing to the right, leading toward what appeared to be a much more ancient section of the space station. As her eyes scanned the sign, she gasped when she read the words 'Prison Rooms' engraved on its surface. "So they do have him locked up..."

__

"Oh, Ami... I'm so glad you're alright..." Trunks thought, his thoughts continuing to call out to Sailor Mercury as she ran though the dirty and decaying halls toward the cell where Trunks was being kept. _"Did you get past Nikashi and Pandemonium?"_

"Sort of..." Sailor Mercury thought, not wanting to tell Trunks that her friends were still in great danger. _"I'll tell you all about it once I've found you..."_

She stopped in front of a rusty, metallic door. She could feel his presence behind its frame, and could sense that Trunks was in an immense amount of pain. This made Sailor Mercury wince, and her lip began to quiver. Steeling herself as much as she could, she turned the knob on the door.

"Dammit, locked..." she cursed silently. "Figures... _hold on, Trunks..."_

Sailor Mercury pointed her arm at the hinges and froze them all solid, shattering them and causing the door to fall from the frame. She leapt out of the way as the door came crashing down, and then stepped over the fallen door into the dark, dank prison room. The stench of blood immediately hit her nostrils, and when she heard the muffled moan from the back wall, she knew immediately where she'd find Trunks. She looked up and gasped, putting her right hand over her lips. Her entire body began to tremble, and streams of tears fell rapidly from her eyes.

"Trunks..." Sailor Mercury sobbed, slowly walking up to him, her legs trembling as she walked. She was barely able to stand, or even breathe as she slowly tried to fathom the horrible agony that Trunks must have been suffering.

His body was still chained to the wall, blood covering his arms, legs, and chest, which was bare after he had discarded his shirt in the fight with Pandemonium. He was covered in cuts, burns, and bruises, some large, some small. Blood continued to drip from his body, though a good deal of it had dried, caking onto his skin, his hair, and his remaining clothing. The cloth tied in his mouth as a gag was completely stained with blood, and it took several seconds before Ami could compose herself enough to slowly move her trembling hand toward his face to remove it from his lips. Finally, she did, pulling down the cloth and letting it hang around his neck like a blood-soaked scarf, her own glove becoming crimson red as it became drenched in Trunks' blood. Slowly, she removed her gloves and let them fall gently to the floor, stroking her hand across Trunks' ravaged face, speechless as she tried desperately to alleviate Trunks' pain.

"Ami...." Trunks gasped, his voice a raspy, animalistic whisper. "I... I'm so sorry... you were right... I should have listened..."

Sailor Mercury continued to stroke Trunks' face, unable to speak. She weakly shook her head, choking out a few sobs from her quivering lips. Her eyes glanced up to Trunks' own, where she could see a tear falling down the left side of his face, a clear glisten against the red mask of blood that had matted on Trunks' cheek. She gently stroked away the tear and leaned her head against Trunks' chest, not caring that her head and face would be stained with his blood.

"No... Trunks... no..." sobbed Sailor Mercury, looking back up at Trunks as she gently brushed her fingers across his lips. "I... I should have gotten here sooner... oh, Trunks... I can't believe I let this happen..."

"I guess... I guess now... we're even, huh?" Trunks said with a slight chuckle, trying to say something that would cheer Ami up, something to help both of them overcome the terrible situation both of them had befallen. Ami flashed Trunks a brief smile, trying her best to look happy so he'd at least feel better emotionally, if not physically. "I love you, Ami..."

"I love you too, Trunks..."Sailor Mercury looked up and saw the shackles locked around Trunks' wrists, and looked down to see the ones binding his legs.

"They're magically infused, Ami... that's why I couldn't break them..." Trunks whispered, knowing Ami would try to break the shackles herself.

"It takes magic to beat magic..." said Sailor Mercury, placing her hands on Trunks' leg bonds and charging up a magical energy blast. "This might sting for a second..."

She concentrated as much energy as she could, and quickly, the shackles began to freeze, and then shatter, chilled severely by the intense burst of cold.

"That was quicker than I expected," Sailor Mercury said, reaching up to Trunks' arms. "Now to free you completely..."

With her left hand on Trunks' right arm shackle and her right hand on his left shackle, she began charging up her energy once more. Finally, after nearly fifteen seconds of constant cold, the chains shattered, and the freed Trunks began to fall to the ground. Before he could hit the cold floor of the room, however, Sailor Mercury caught him in her arms and fell to her knees, holding Trunks gently, as she would a small child.

"Ami..." Trunks said weakly, looking up into the eyes of his beloved. "I was... so scared that... something would happen to you..."

"Shhh..." Sailor Mercury whispered, her hand gently stroking the side of Trunks' face. "I'm here... and I'm alright... and you're going to be better soon... I promise..."

Once more, Sailor Mercury began to sob, her tears falling onto Trunks' body, seeping into the cuts in his flesh. Though her tears could do nothing to heal the battered half-Saiyan, he felt as if all the pain in his body was floating away while in Ami's arms, just like she'd told him she had felt after Trunks had rescued her from Frieza.

__

"So this is what it's like... to be saved by the love of your life..." Trunks thought, trying to conceal it so that Ami wouldn't hear. She had heard, however, and replied simply by kissing Trunks gently on the lips. She could taste blood as she kissed him, but that didn't matter, and she began to kiss Trunks deeper, her tongue slipping slightly between his lips as she became caught in the passion of the moment. She began to feel guilty about kissing Trunks so intensely before he was healed, but when his lips enveloped hers, she knew that the kiss was right... that her love, if it wasn't healing Trunks' wounds, was still taking away his pain, even if for only a brief moment...

Finally, after several more seconds of kissing, and then about a minute of composing herself, Sailor Mercury knew what she had to do. She had to find some way to heal Trunks, as soon as possible... his wounds were severe, and though he wasn't unconscious yet, she knew that if he passed out, he could easily die soon after from the immense loss of blood she'd suffered. She picked Trunks up off of the ground and carried him out of the room, his body stretched out over both of her arms. Though he must have been quite heavy, Sailor Mercury realized that because of her magical energy, she could carry him easily in her arms.

"If you hadn't trained me, I probably wouldn't be able to do this..." said Sailor Mercury as she continued to carry Trunks back down the halls toward the room where her friends were fighting Pandemonium. "I'm so glad you're alive, Trunks..."

"And I'm glad you're safe, Ami..." Trunks replied, smiling despite all the intense pain still filling every inch of his body. "I love you..."

"And I love you, Trunks... always and forever..."

---

So Ami has finally rescued Trunks, and not a moment too soon! But questions still remain. Will she reach her friends in time? Can she find some way to heal Trunks before he succumbs to his injuries? And even if she can heal Trunks, will he be able to defeat Pandemonium, the warrior who caused him to suffer his worst loss ever? All those questions will be answered in the next exciting chapter!


	17. Thirst For Blood And Revenge

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Sonar de Mercury: You're Ami's cheerleader, hmm? Well, okay!

GracedAngel1854: Studying? Uh oh... maybe you should get your schoolwork done before you start reading this chapter. Unless it's already done... I hope!

Zyppora: Yeah, Ami caught his fist, but she's really not all THAT powerful... she just had an adrenaline rush. Who knows, maybe she will beat up Pandemonium and Nikashi...

Sailor Element: Ami can't heal Trunks, but I know some people who can... maybe they'll get to Trunks this chapter!

Erica: Hey now, you're the one who wanted him to get captured. And tortured. And... well, I guess you wanted Ami to save him too. Glad you like the chapter!

---

"You'll never hurt anyone again!" shouted Sailor Moon, pointing at Pandemonium from across the room. "Especially not our friends!"

"That's right, you big jerk!" Rose shouted, a furious look on her face. "What you did to Trunks is unforgivable, and you must be punished!"

"You foolish, pathetic Senshi..." mused Pandemonium, staring at the group of heroes walking slowly toward him, including the Senshi (sans Mercury), Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick, who looked especially nervous to be facing his former master. When Pandemonium and Patrick's eyes met, an angry stare began to form on Pandemonium's face. "And you, you traitor... how _dare _you betray me!"

The eight heroes and Pandemonium were standing just a few yards apart now, sizing each other up for the skirmish that would soon erupt in this, the room that had played host to so many furious battles over the past few hours. As Patrick continued to stare nervously, Cammy clasped his hand in one of her own, trembling just as much as he was.

"Don't be afraid of him..." Cammy whispered. "You're not working for him anymore... we're going to fight him together, okay?"

"And what's this?" remarked Pandemonium, looking at Cammy and Patrick with contempt in his eyes. "Didn't I see you trembling in Patrick's presence just days earlier? Now the two of you are holding hands, like the best of friends. How do you know he's not deceiving you, Cammy?"

"Put a sock in it!" Angela barked, her energy aura beginning to flare up. "Cammy and Patrick have reconciled all of their differences, and nothing that anybody says is going to change that! Your former friend has seen the error of his ways, and he's not going to do the terrible things you've commanded him to do anymore!"

"My dear, I didn't tell him to abduct Cammy, that was part of his own perverted agenda, and befriending her now is just a temporary twist," said Pandemonium, curiously gazing back and forth between Cammy and Patrick. "He's using you, Cammy... using your kindness... just waiting to-"

"I said _put a sock in it_!" Angela shouted, firing a large magical blast directly at Pandemonium's head. Pandemonium smiled, and placed his hand directly in the path of the blast, his palm forming a shield as the blast exploded harmlessly against it, doing no damage whatsoever to Pandemonium. Though it had been ineffective as an attack, the blast had served as an opportunity for the others to charge up their own attacks, and Sailor Moon was first to strike, pointing her henshin stick at Pandemonium and concentrating a large amount of energy at its tip.

"Moon... Purification..."

A huge beam was released from the end of the henshin stick, but when it reached a point about a foot in front of Pandemonium, he leapt out of the way, avoiding the blast by flying over it and directly at Sailor Moon. The other three Senshi, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, fired blasts of their own at Pandemonium as he flew overhead. He casually smacked all of their blasts away, landing just behind Sailor Moon and striking her in the head with a deadly kick that sent her sprawling to the ground.

Upon seeing their princess hurt, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus flew into a rage, running at Pandemonium and assailing him with a series of magical energy-enhanced punches and kicks, all of which were easily blocked by Pandemonium, using his incredible speed to maneuver his wrists and legs in time to stop every blow. Then, he unleashed a wave of magical energy, blasting all three Senshi away to a distance of about ten feet. Before Pandemonium could rest, Rose, Angela, and Cammy all began blasting Patrick with bursts of magical energy. Because of their battle with Nikashi, their bursts were slightly weakened, but still quite potent. Nonetheless, Pandemonium was easily able to block the blasts with a magical barrier quickly erected in the shape of a dome around his body.

"You're using the same gang-up strategy you used against Nikashi, am I right?" asked Pandemonium as his barrier easily blocked all of the sisters' blasts. "I can tell you fought her first, since you're all so pathetic and weak. Ami was the same way."

"She fought courageously to hold you off until we got here!" shouted Sailor Moon, who had climbed back up to a standing position. "And right now, I bet she's freeing Trunks from your vile captivity!"

"So what if she does free him?" asked Pandemonium. "What good will it do? All I have to do is beat that pathetic half-breed again, if he's not already dead from the first beating I gave him."

"You... you big meanie!" Cammy shouted, stopping her rain of blasts and pointing directly at Pandemonium. "All you care about is hurting others, and it's going to stop right now!"

"Oh, really?" said Pandemonium, walking over to Cammy with a look of amusement on his face. As he drew nearer, Cammy stepped further and further back, getting more and more nervous with every step Pandemonium took that brought him closer to her. Patrick watched Pandemonium and Cammy with disdain for several moments before slowly beginning to walk over to them himself.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Rose, firing another magical blast at Pandemonium. Pandemonium smiled and continued backing down Cammy, letting the blast explode harmlessly against his back. The Senshi began concentrating their energy, preparing to protect Cammy from Pandemonium, who was getting closer and closer to her every second.

"Stay back..." Cammy said, nervously pointing her arms at Pandemonium. "I'm warning you!"

With a loud scream, Cammy fired a large, green energy blast from the palms of her hands. Pandemonium smiled, raising his hand and firing a lavender sphere that not only disintegrated Cammy's blast, but continued on into the girl and hit her hard in the chest, knocking her flat onto the ground. Cammy screamed again as she fell, hitting the ground on her back and watching helplessly as Pandemonium leaned over her, charging up a finishing blast in his right hand.

"You will be the first to die," said Pandemonium, pointing his hand at Cammy's head. "A fitting fate for such a weak, pathetic-

"Leave her alone!" shouted Patrick, leaping inbetween Cammy and Pandemonium, his body shining brightly with a light blue glow. "And take this!"

Immediately, Patrick blasted a cold, stinging mist of pure ice energy into Pandemonium's face, trying to blind him by freezing his eyes shut. Though he could feel some cold from the attack, Pandemonium completely avoided damage by briefly flaring up his magical energy aura, letting the mist float harmlessly past him. When the mist had disappeared, Pandemonium looked down to see Patrick kneeling over Cammy, checking on her condition."Patrick..." Cammy gasped, looking up into the eyes of her unlikely savior. "Thank you... thank you so much..."

"It was nothing..." Patrick replied, shaking his head. "I should still probably be the one thanking you..."

Suddenly, Patrick was spun around by Pandemonium, who then hoisted Patrick up by the collar of his jumpsuit and held him high in the air.

"You never cease to amaze me, Patrick," said Pandemonium as he held up the struggling and kicking form of his former subordinate. "You outlived all of your fellow lieutenants by being nothing short of an impulsive, sadomasochistic pervert and lucking out on the good grace of one of your foolish victims. Had you chosen the path of nobility, you would have died with honor like the others, fighting to their deaths against the enemies of the armada. But now, you die a traitor, condemned to death by the leader you betrayed. Consider yourself dishonorably discharged."

Pandemonium, still holding Patrick with one hand, raised his other hand to Patrick's face, already charged with the same blast that would have been used to destroy Cammy had Patrick not interfered. But suddenly, Pandemonium heard the loud cries of the Senshi, once again calling for their most powerful weapon.

"SAILOR... PLANET... POWER!"

Pandemonium could feel the energy coming off of the huge magical energy beam now barreling straight for him. He tossed Patrick to the ground next to Cammy and turned around, firing off a large blast of his own that met the Sailor Senshi's group attack in the midpoint between himself and the four girls.

"Nikashi... may have succumbed to such a foolish attack... but I... will never allow that to happen!" shouted Pandemonium. With one push, his beam barreled through the concentrated Planet Power attack, nullifying it and flying toward the four Senshi, who had to break formation and barely managed to leap out of the way as Pandemonium's beam rushed past them and slammed into the wall, creating a huge explosion.

__

"No... no, the Planet Power attack!" thought Sailor Moon, sweat pouring down her face as she stared at the powerful Pandemonium, a look of pure terror in her eyes. "Our best attack... completely useless..."

"Now we know what Trunks was up against..." said Sailor Venus quietly, shaking her head. _"How did Ami ever survive fighting this guy?"_

---

She had survived with determination, fueled by love for Trunks and a desire to protect him, no matter what the cost. As Sailor Mercury carried Trunks back to the battle room, his bleeding and battered body draped over both of her arms, she knew that she'd only completed one step of her task, and had another far more important step remaining. How would she find a way to heal him before he succumbed to his brutal injuries? She'd thought of her own magical energy, but then realized that it could only be used to heal herself, not others, and she wouldn't have nearly enough to heal Trunks, anyway. Sailor Moon _could _heal others, but only of internal blights. She could purify, not mend. None of the other Senshi had that kind of power either. Then, she remembered the teleportation wand she still carried with her, tightly secured to her ankle with a leather holster Bulma had given her.

"I can take you back to my dimension, and then back to this one, at Bulma's house..." Sailor Mercury said, pointing to the wand attached to her ankle. "Should we..."

Trunks shook his head, and Sailor Mercury quickly realized the reason why. Bulma was out of Senzu Beans, and though she had the equipment to heal Trunks, it could take days to fully treat his injuries. By then, her friends would be long dead... Sailor Mercury knew they didn't stand a chance against Pandemonium. Trunks needed healing, and fast.

"Those sisters... Rose, Angela, Cammy... they can heal, can't they?" said Trunks, his voice weak and faltering as Sailor Mercury set him gently down on the ground. "Are they... are they here with you?"

"Yes.... they're in that room, right next to us... fighting Pandemonium exactly like you did," said Sailor Mercury, her hand stroking Trunks' face again, like the touch of a gentle angel.

Trunks' eyes widened when he learned that Sailor Mercury's friends were fighting Pandemonium, and Sailor Mercury could quickly detect the fear and worry on his face. She stroked his forehead again, briefly getting Trunks to calm down.

"They've only been fighting for a few minutes," whispered Sailor Mercury. "I'm... I'm sure they're alright..."

But Sailor Mercury's voice was faltering as well, and Trunks could sense the same worry in her that she had detected in him. This time, he had to be the reassuring one, as he reached up and stroked his bloodied hand across Mercury's cheek, despite the intense pain it caused him in doing so. As his hand slowly fell away, she took it for a brief second and touched it quickly to her lips before letting it slowly fall back to Trunks' side.

"I'll go in and try to bring the three girls out," said Sailor Mercury, pointing to the large, metallic door that guarded the room where her friends were fighting. "Can you... wait just a little bit?"

Trunks nodded, and Sailor Mercury leaned down and kissed him briefly on the lips, one last time. Then, she stood up, reluctantly leaving her lover's side as she re-entered the terrible battlefield where her friends were fighting valiantly to stall Pandemonium.

---

Pandemonium stood in the center of the room and looked back and forth at the eight warriors he was preparing to destroy. On one side of the room, toward the back, were Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Mars. On the other side, toward the front entrance, were Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick, the two latter of whom had just gotten up from having been knocked and/or thrown to the ground by Pandemonium.

"We'll never surrender! Not until our friend is free!" shouted Sailor Moon, pointing her henshin stick at Pandemonium yet again. "So prepare to fight us until the bitter end!"

"I'm going to destroy all of you, and it will only take me just a few more moments!" Pandemonium replied, flaring up his energy aura. "The bitter end will come a lot sooner than you think, fools!"

Suddenly, the door of the room flew open, and Sailor Mercury ran inside, immediately dashing over to Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Patrick. She began whispering something to them and pointing toward the door, but Pandemonium quickly took notice of their conversation and fired a lavender energy sphere that the five heroes were just barely able to dodge.

"I see you've returned, my dear Sailor Mercury..." said Pandemonium, walking toward Sailor Mercury as she stepped out of the group to face Pandemonium and draw attention from Rose, Angela, and Cammy, who were now running toward the door. Pandemonium saw them out of the corner of his eye and fired a large blast to stop them. With a loud scream, Sailor Mercury threw herself in front of the blast, causing herself to be hit right in the midsection and thrown violently to the ground, her now smoking body rolling to a stop at Patrick's feet. "That's what I should have done a long time ago! Now you're as dead as Trunks!"

Patrick knelt down to help Sailor Mercury, but she gently nudged him away and climbed to her feet unassisted, her body injured but not by any means destroyed by Pandemonium's attack.

"Trunks... is alive..." Sailor Mercury said, a smile on her face. By now, Rose, Angela, and Cammy were already outside, and Sailor Mercury knew that her lover would be in safe hands. "And soon... he'll be... coming for you, Pandemonium..."

"I wonder if this has anything to do with those three girls leaving?" asked Pandemonium, glancing toward the entrance of the room. "Or perhaps Trunks _is _dead, you're in denial, and you want to fight me by yourself to get revenge?"

"Sailor Mercury, you're hurt!" shouted Sailor Moon, noticing the damage that had been caused to her friend by Pandemonium's blast.

"No matter what you do to me... I'll never stop fighting for Trunks, not for a second," Sailor Mercury said, shrugging off her friend's remark with a message to Pandemonium eerily similar to the one she'd given to Frieza after he had abducted her. It was the same idea. No matter what happened to Ami, she'd always love Trunks, and would fight for him, sacrificing anything it took to help him, even her own life. Trunks was exactly the same way... they were interwoven, Trunks and Ami... forever two parts of the same whole.

"A second's just about all you have, you little Mercurian bitch," said Pandemonium, his energy aura still flaring brightly. "I'll kill you, and then all your pathetic little friends... and if Trunks is still alive, I'll kill him too."

---

"Holy cow, they did a number on you, Trunks..." Cammy said, kneeling by the injured half-Saiyan's side. "You need to be healed right away!"

"That's why... I was wondering... if the three of you could... maybe... please..." Trunks groaned before Angela put her finger up to his lips.

"Say no more, we'll have you healed in a heartbeat," Angela said, placing her hand gently on Trunks' chest. _"Wow, even when he's hurt, his chest is still so firm and muscle-y... lucky Ami."_

Rose and Cammy also placed their hands on Trunks' chest, and within seconds, healing energy from the three girls was rapidly flowing into Trunks' body, the three girls shining with a warm, colorfulglow as they concentrated all their strength into repairing their friend's shattered body. Almost instantly, Trunks could feel the magic taking effect, his blood seeping back into wounds that were closing even quicker than they had been formed in the fight. Bones were mending, burns were disappearing, and Trunks could sense his incredible strength being renewed and replenished. He knew that his Saiyan blood would make him stronger than ever before, and he needed all the strength he could get if he was going to fight Pandemonium again. Even when all the wounds were gone, the three girls continued sending their healing energy into Trunks' body, pouring their heart and soul into taking all the terrible injuries from him.

"Just... a bit... more..." Rose said wearily, clearly exhausted from having used so much of her energy to heal Trunks.

"Few more seconds...." said Angela.

"Almost... got it..." Cammy whispered. Finally, after just over a minute, the girls had done all they could do for Trunks. As soon as they'd finished their healing magic, the three girls collapsed to the floor, unconscious. They'd given everything they had to heal Trunks, and Trunks couldn't help but admire their tremendous efforts as he rose to his feet, every trace of pain and injury eradicated from his body.

"I owe you girls... an incredible debt," Trunks said as he gently set the girls next to one another on the floor, allowing them to get the rest they so badly needed after having given so much of themselves to heal him. "Thank you all so very much..."

Trunks clenched his fists and flared up his ki aura. Immediately, he could feel an incredible new strength that had seemingly arisen from the ashes, born of the blood and sweat Trunks had exuded over the past few hours. If the saying was true that pain was simply weakness leaving the body, then Trunks was confident that all of his weakness had left long ago. His pain was no more, and now he felt only strength as he pushed open the door where he'd held his first fight with Pandemonium, ten hours before. This time, Trunks would give it everything he had. There would be no punches pulled, no holding anything back. He couldn't let the efforts of all of his friends be in vain... especially the efforts of his beloved Ami. He was still fighting for her most of all.

He entered the room and immediately saw Sailor Mercury, her back to the entryway where Trunks was standing. She was on her knees, and she appeared to be severely weakened. Standing just a few feet away from her was Pandemonium, his hand pointed toward her face. Trunks knew immediately that he had to act fast. He pointed his own hand at Pandemonium and fired a ki blast that knocked him clearly off his feet and to the ground on his back. Sailor Mercury stood up and turned around, her face lighting up as soon as she saw her rejuvenated lover standing just inside the entrance of the room. She ran over to Trunks and embraced him tightly as Pandemonium struggled to stand. The other Senshi and Patrick all watched as Trunks and Ami embraced for several seconds, the smile on Ami's face telling the whole story. This was everything she'd hoped for. Trunks was not only alive, but completely healed and stronger than ever, just in time to rescue her friends. But as Pandemonium stood up and brushed himself off from Trunks' attack, she realized that by fighting the vicious Pandemonium, Trunks would be in danger yet again.

"I don't believe it..." Pandemonium said, a clear look of surprise on his face. "You're... completely healed... but how?"

"That's none of your concern right now, Pandemonium," Trunks said. His hair spiked and turned golden, and his aura exploded outward as Trunks powered up to Super Saiyan, and then to Super Saiyan 2. "Right now, your only concern is me. I told you I'd kill you, and I intend to follow up on that promise. Ami... you and the others need to leave this room, right now."

"Trunks, no..." Sailor Mercury pleaded, her hand rushing to Trunks' face. As she wiped her hand across Trunks' cheek, he gently took her by the wrist and set her arm back down at her side.

"Please, Ami..." Trunks said, then kissed Sailor Mercury lightly on the lips. "I'll win this time... I promise."

By now, the Senshi had made it back across the room and were now standing by Trunks and Sailor Mercury, along with Patrick. Pandemonium had watched them the whole time, his anger building over Trunks' incredible recovery.

"I don't know _how _you managed to heal yourself, but I've beaten you once, and it appears I'm going to get that chance again!" Pandemonium shouted, flaring up his bright, lavender energy aura. "I'm going to enjoy this..."

"Trunks..." Sailor Mercury whispered one last time before reluctantly leaving the room with the others. Now, once again, Trunks and Pandemonium were by themselves in the huge room where just hours before, their titanic clash had rocked the very walls of the floating citadel they were both in.

"Before we begin, I just want to tell you that I wasn't lying when I said I was holding back," Trunks said, pulling his arms in close to his chest and gathering his energy. "This time, I plan to fight at my absolute maximum."

"Regardless of your power, you'll never be stronger than me!" Pandemonium shouted, the room trembling as his body began to fill with magical energy, his aura violently expanding as Pandemonium once again raised his power to its absolute limit. "Just try and stop me, Trunks!"

"As you wish," said Trunks, electricity coursing all about his body. "One more thing... I want to offer you a little lesson in Saiyan biology. When a being of my race is beaten to within an inch of their life, and then are later healed, their power increases by a significant amount. So whatever my maximum was then, it's nothing compared to the power you're about to face... right... NOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!"

Trunks screamed loudly as he powered up, his energy level skyrocketing. His golden aura grew larger and brighter every second, and his electrical aura became incredibly prominent, with bright lightning sparking and crackling rapidly around his body. As Trunks gathered his energy, Pandemonium could feel an incredible power unlike anything he'd ever felt before, and knew that Trunks had become much stronger... but by how much, he couldn't possibly imagine. Finally, Trunks' screaming ended, and his aura died down slightly. He'd finished gathering his energy, and was now at his maximum level of strength, a power stronger than anything even Trunks had ever felt before.

__

"So much power..." Trunks thought, knowing Ami could hear his every word from just outside the room. _"It's incredible... I can feel it in every inch of my body..."_

"I can feel it too," Ami thought to him from where she was standing, in the hallway just outside the room with the other Senshi. _"Unbelievable... I'm scanning your power right now with my VR visor... just, curious, you know? Let's see here..."_

"It _is _impressive, Trunks," Pandemonium said, his own aura glowing as largely and as brightly as the Ascended Saiyan's. "But you must remember... you're 0 and 1 against me, Trunks."

__

"It's still scanning... still going up... still... aaaah!"

"Ami?" Trunks thought back to her, startled that she had screamed. _"What happened?"_

"It... it broke... I can't believe it... well, now Serena's yelling at me. I'd better just let you fight... please, please be careful, Trunks... I love you..."

"I love you too, Ami."

Suddenly, Trunks could see Pandemonium flying at him out of the corner of his eye. He reared back his fist and struck at Trunks, his fist flying at an incredible speed. His punch never made it to its intended target, because before it could reach Trunks' face, Trunks caught it in his hand and casually pushed Pandemonium away. With a snarl of rage, Pandemonium kicked at Trunks' head, and again, Trunks blocked, this time with the side of his arm.

"It's a little bit tougher now, isn't it?" Trunks said, with a hint of a smile on his face. "Maybe you'd have better luck with one of those purple energy balls you like so much."

"Damn you!" Pandemonium shouted in frustration, leaping back and forming an energy sphere in his hand. He threw the sphere at Trunks, who punched through the sphere with a powerful, glowing fist, disintegrating it instantaneously. Before Pandemonium could gasp, Trunks drove a powerful elbow into his stomach. Pandemonium gasped, a small amount of blood flying out of his mouth. Then, Trunks leapt above Pandemonium and slammed both fists into his back, sending him crashing to the floor with immense force.

Pandemonium stood up quickly, wiping the blood from his chin and firing a large beam of magical energy at Trunks. Trunks placed his hands out in front of the beam and blasted it back toward Pandemonium with a blast of his own. Realizing that his own blast would be inadequate to stop the one Trunks had fired, Pandemonium leapt out of the way just in time to avoid the blast, which collided with the floor and created a gigantic explosion.

__

"Damn him... he's gotten a lot _more powerful..." _Pandemonium thought, looking up at Trunks, who hadn't budged from his current position, hovering high above his head. "You're going to die, Saiyan!"

Trunks didn't say a word. Instead, he pointed his hand downward and fired a flurry of ki blasts at Pandemonium. The blasts came in quicker than Pandemonium could react, and in desperation, he pointed his hand upward and fired several lavender energy spheres at Trunks' blasts, hoping to absorb them like he had done before. This time, however, the huge blasts just barreled right through the spheres, destroying them and slamming into Pandemonium at the same time. Pandemonium screamed as the first blast hit him, and continued to scream as the blasts fell. When the smoke cleared, Trunks was standing just a few feet away from Pandemonium, his aura as strong as ever. Pandemonium, whose body was now covered in burns and cuts created by the blasts, stumbled back, staring at Trunks in disbelief. Trunks' aura was now larger than ever, and the sparks created by the electrical field circling around his body were bright enough to nearly blind Pandemonium.

"How's it feel to be the one on the losing end?" Trunks asked as he walked toward Pandemonium, a deadly serious look on his face. "It's not very fun, is it?"

Pandemonium leapt toward Trunks and threw a punch at his face. Again, Trunks blocked the punch with the palm of his hand, not even having to think to stop the punch. Another punch from Pandemonium was aimed at Trunks' chest, but yet again, Trunks blocked the punch, this time with his wrist. A kick directed at Trunks' face was blocked with the side of Trunks' arm. Finally, Pandemonium leapt back and extended his palm, charging up for another large magical energy blast.

"Stay back... stay back!!" Pandemonium shouted, terror beginning to creep into his normally calm voice. "I'm warning you!"

A huge beam of energy, as wide as a truck, suddenly came zooming at Trunks, a sonic boom forming ahead of the energy wave as it easily smashed the sound barrier. Despite its immense speed, Trunks was easily able to block it against his palm, but the blast was powerful, and it pushed the half-Saiyan backward as he tried to hold it off. Soon, the blast had Trunks pressed all the way against the door, and continued to push with an immense amount of force.

"That's right, Trunks!" Pandemonium shouted, sweat pouring down his face. "Either face the blast or you'll be smashed flat!"

__

"Yeah, right..." Trunks thought, ki energy now rushing through his hand as he prepared to counter the blast.

__

"Trunks, was that you?" Sailor Mercury thought from the other room.

__

"Oh, sorry about that, Ami... it's about to be over... just a few more minutes."

"Thank goodness..."

Trunks' hand glew brightly, electricity flowing all around Trunks' arm as he gathered energy to stop Pandemonium's blast. After just a few seconds, the blast seemed to flash for a few seconds, and then faded away completely. Pandemonium stood silently, stunned for several seconds as he looked at Trunks, and then looked down at his hand.

"He... he... he completely canceled my attack!" Pandemonium shouted in disbelief. "No... no, it's not fair!"

"Ka...me..."

"Huh?"

Pandemonium looked up to see Trunks standing just a few feet away, readying an enormous blast. The energy Trunks generated as the blast was forming was strong enough to nearly knock Pandemonium flat on his back. But unfortunately for Pandemonium, he remained standing, right in the path of the blast.

"Ha...me...HA!!!!!"

The tremendous blast engulfed Pandemonium, followed by a loud scream, and then silence. The beam of ki rushed all the way to the back of the room, where it mercifully dissipated before it would have slammed into the wall, potentially doing horrendous damage to the space station, which might have endangered the lives of Trunks and the others. The damage had been done, however, to Pandemonium. Unseen by Trunks, Pandemonium had managed to slip just out of the blast's path... but not all of him had escaped. After the blast had faded, another loud, agonized scream could be heard to Trunks' right. When he turned around, he could see Pandemonium standing twenty feet away, struggling to stand. Trunks' eyes quickly focused on Pandemonium's right arm... or what used to be his right arm.

"My arm... my arm... YOU DISINTEGRATED MY ARM!"

The blast had burned off Pandemonium's right arm, leaving only a deformed, bloody stump near Pandemonium's right shoulder. He continued to stumble back, his eyes wide in pain and terror. Trunks slowly walked toward him, his aura still shining as brightly as it had at the very start of the fight, if not brighter.

"It's over, Pandemonium," Trunks said, his arms gathering more ki energy for another blast.

"No... no... no, you pathetic freak!" Pandemonium shouted, his remaining arm pointed at Trunks. In desperation, he began to fire countless amounts of lavender energy spheres, all of them directed at the powerful half-Saiyan. "Take that! And that! And that!"

Hundreds of small energy blasts were fired at Trunks, creating fiery explosions as they hit Trunks' aura, but did no damage to Trunks himself. Eventually, the blasts created enough smoke to obscure Trunks' vision, and caused Trunks to cough and sputter violently.

"This smoke is gonna mess up my lungs," Trunks coughed, beginning to get annoyed. "I'm going to kill you sooner or later, Pandemonium!"

But when the smoke disappeared, Pandemonium had gone. Trunks looked all over the room, but could find no sign of his once-mighty adversary.

"No!" Trunks shouted in frustration, his hands curled into tight fists. "Dammit... how could I let him escape? Aaaaaaaaargh!!!"

Trunks flew into a rage, firing ki blasts all over the room. After a few seconds, the door opened, and Sailor Mercury slowly walked into the room, followed by Patrick and the other Senshi. Sailor Mercury looked worried as she sensed the intense rage on Trunks' face. She ran over to him as quickly as she could.

"Trunks... what happened?" she asked calmly, her hand gently reaching out to him. Still angry, Trunks turned away with an angry snarl.

"He got away, that's what happened!" Trunks shouted. "That damn coward disappeared... I had him! I HAD HIM!"

Sailor Mercury gasped, and Trunks quickly turned back to face her. His expression softened, and his eyes grew wide, hoping his anger hadn't hurt Sailor Mercury in any way. He hated himself when he yelled at her... she didn't deserve that... why was he taking his anger out on her?

"Ami... it's.... it's not your fault..." Trunks sighed, wrapping her in his arms in a gentle embrace. "You didn't... see anyone leave, did you?"

"Nope, and we were watching that door for a long time," said Sailor Moon, turning to the other Senshi. "You girls didn't see anything, did you?"

"It doesn't matter... he probably teleported away," said Trunks, his anger quickly being replaced by immense regret. "I was so close... I destroyed his arm, I was about to finish him off for good... one more blast, just one more blast, and-"

"I... I understand how you feel, Trunks," replied Sailor Mercury, though she knew she probably had no idea what Trunks was feeling right then, and didn't want to say anything to hurt his feelings, which she could tell were already fairly fragile. "He... he hurt you... I'm just as angry with him as you are, Trunks..."

"He didn't just hurt me," Trunks said, looking into Ami's eyes. "He hurt you... and all of your friends... his minions wrecked my friends' village..."

"They killed Minori's father," Sailor Mercury whispered, figuring Trunks would know exactly who she meant.

"Dammit, the mayor..." Trunks whispered, slowly shaking his head. "He was... he was saying I should probably... should probably..."

"Should probably what?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Oh... you mean live in our dimension..."

"I'd be endangering people wherever I went," said Trunks, briefly looking at the Senshi and Patrick before turning back to Sailor Mercury. "So right now, I'm going to stay in the place where there's the least amount of people..."

"Your world," Sailor Mars whispered, and Trunks nodded.

"That is... after I've finished what I started here," said Trunks, walking toward the entrance of the room. "Pandemonium's still here..."

"How do you know he didn't teleport to your world?" Patrick asked. "He might have gone back to-"

"No," said Trunks, his ki aura flashing. "He's still in this ship... I can sense him... his energy's weak, but I can still sense him... he's not too far from here."

"Wait," said Sailor Mercury, gently pulling Trunks back. "Your mother... would probably like to see you before you get into another fight."

"But Ami, I-"

"Pandemonium probably went back to his boss, and that's who you could be fighting next if we stay here," said Sailor Mercury.

Ami was right. Trunks knew that Pandemonium was probably reporting the battle and Trunks' new strength to an even stronger opponent, and though Trunks was a lot stronger than he had been before he'd entered the ship, he knew he'd exerted quite a lot of energy in the fight, though he couldn't exactly feel that it was gone. Whenever you get a lot of new power, you typically tend to use it up quickly until you get used to having it, and Trunks didn't want to fight an unknown foe again without being at full strength... he'd learned that lesson the hard way.

"We should just go back to Juuban... take the girls back, and then you and I can go back to your house, okay, Trunks?" Sailor Mercury asked, holding up the teleportation wand. "We can regroup and then come back here tomorrow."

Trunks nodded, and then turned to the Senshi.

"Get Rose, Angela, and Cammy from outside," Trunks said, and Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus quickly complied, retrieving the three unconscious girls and pulling them back into the room. Once that had been accomplished, Sailor Mercury created the gate that would send the Senshi, Trunks, the sisters, and Patrick back to Juuban. The rescue was completed, and now it was time to go home. _"You won't get away next time, Pandemonium..."_

---

Pandemonium, his body battered, his arm gone, and his pride thoroughly crushed, staggered through the halls of the space station before finally reaching a large, domed room, similar to where he'd fought the Senshi. This particular room, however, was where Nikashi had done battle with them. Pandemonium didn't know that, and when he entered the room, she was gone. He could see a small amount of blood on the floor, and correctly assumed that a battle had taken place.

"Dammit... Nikashi..." Pandemonium groaned weakly, stumbling into the center of the room. "Couldn't you have held 'em... just a little... bit longer?"

"It's not her fault you're such a failure," came Sunzeki's voice from just outside the room. "You did that yourself."

"I'm not in the mood!" Pandemonium shouted, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Leave me alone, Sunzeki..."

"You lost my prize, Pandemonium... you _and _Nikashi. Your weakness and ineptitude cost me my prize... you cost me Trunks," Sunzeki said, still unable to be seen by Pandemonium as he stood just outside the room.

"You're the one that wouldn't let me kill him, dammit!" Pandemonium shouted, his pain beginning to make him delirious, as if he was drunk. "You should've been here to fight him yourself!"

"Pandemonium!" gasped a weak-sounding voice from just outside the room, before being muffled by some unseen force. The voice sounded exactly like Nikashi's, desperate and painful at the same time. It was then that Sunzeki stepped into the room, one hand clasped over Nikashi's mouth, the other hand holding a white energy blade firmly against her throat. Her arms were bound to her sides with rose thorns that looked particularly like the ones Rose had used on her just before she had been blasted by the Senshi's Planet Power attack.

"You know, when I found her, she was still crumpled up on the ground, tied up in these vines," Sunzeki said, an amused smirk on his face. "These vines belong to... those... 'flower bitches', am I correct?"

"Let her go, Sunzeki..." Pandemonium said, revealing a hint of an affection he'd never revealed to anyone before, but somehow, Sunzeki had known... somehow, Sunzeki wanted him to see Nikashi suffer.

"If she was strong enough... to be of any use... to us, she'd be able to break these vines, right? I mean, they're as weak as those girls, are they not?" Sunzeki asked. "I could understand if these were... Trunks' vines, but they're not. They belong to one of those weak little girls who I could probably destroy in oh, say... about one second!"

"It was my fault Trunks got away," said Pandemonium, bowing his head. "Not Nikashi's... please, let her-"

"You know, she told me a little bitty something about you that I found very interesting," said Sunzeki, his hand still clamped tightly over Nikashi's mouth. He looked at her for a brief second, her trembles clearly indicating the immense terror she felt in Sunzeki's presence. "She's got a bit of a... thing for you, Pandemonium. Not a lust thing, like she has for Trunks... no, I do believe she's quite smitten with you, my dear, dear friend."

"Let... her... GO!" Pandemonium shouted, his energy aura flaring up again, but quickly dying down as the searing pain in his severed arm became too much to bear, and he collapsed to the ground. "Argh!"

"Pathetic to the last, I see," said Sunzeki, smiling broadly. "Well, it seems you can't keep Trunks imprisoned to save your life, and you can't keep him to save Nikashi's either. What a shame."

With a quick movement of the energy blade, Sunzeki had slashed Nikashi's throat, allowing the lifeless woman to fall unceremoniously to the ground, killed instantly. A shout of rage burst forth from Pandemonium, who leapt to his feet and ran at Sunzeki, energy gathering rapidly in his remaining arm.

"I.... I LOVED HER!" Pandemonium screamed, firing a huge, lavender energy beam at Sunzeki. In one fluid motion, Sunzeki ducked under the blast and lunged into Pandemonium, driving his fist into the warrior's stomach and stopping him cold. Pandemonium doubled over, blood spewing from his lips. He gasped, tears streaming down one side of his face as he desperately struggled to breathe.

"Pretty pathetic choice of last words for someone as powerful as yourself," Sunzeki said, pointing his arm at Pandemonium. "Your legacy will be that you defeated the mighty Ascended Saiyan Trunks... and then died the very same day, a pathetic, sniveling, sobbing fool. C'est la vie."

One blast from Sunzeki was all it took to completely disintegrate Pandemonium, simultaneously ending his life and his suffering. With a smile, Sunzeki walked out of the room, casually stepping on Nikashi's body as he made his exit.

"If you want a job done right, send the guy from headquarters to do it," said Sunzeki as he strode toward Exeter's chambers, his newly-donned gray trenchcoat billowing behind him as he walked. "Trunks will return... and then we'll see if I'm underestimating the Saiyan or not."

---

Cammy and Patrick stood outside Cammy's house, her sisters having entered just a minute earlier. For a while, they said nothing, just staring at each other as they realized the tremendous turn their relationship had taken over just a few short days.

"You... fought really well today, Cammy," said Patrick, breaking the ice. "I... I just thought I should tell you that."

"You did too, Patrick," Cammy replied, a smile appearing on her face. "I'm really glad you were able to help us out today... without your help, we might not have won!"

"I... don't think that's the truth, Cammy," Patrick said. "The Senshi could probably have saved Trunks by themselves... well, and you, of course."

"Don't forget my sisters," said Cammy, pointing to her house. "They kicked a lot of butt too!"

Patrick nodded, and then turned away from the house, bowing his head. Cammy could sense something was wrong, and walked up to ask him a question.

"Patrick? Um... where are you gonna live now that you quit the bad guys' team?" Cammy asked. "It's not like I don't trust you or anything, but I don't think my sisters would like the idea of you staying here."

"I'm going to live with Trunks and Bulma for a while. After that, Bulma said they could probably build me a house in the town, so I could live there. It's okay, Cammy, I'm going to have a place where I belong."

"I think you should," said Cammy, continuing to smile at Patrick with a warm, caring grin that made Patrick's heart feel ten times lighter. "I knew you were a good person deep down inside... you just had to look really, really hard."

"Wait, Cammy... you mean you... you trust me now?" Patrick asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "It... it hasn't been all that long since I-"

"That Patrick is dead," replied Cammy. "I killed him in the spaceship, just like I said I would. You're... you're his good twin that he'd been keeping locked up in that room, just like me."

"Why... why do you say that?" Patrick asked curiously, with a hint of confusion on his face. "In that... room?"

"Because I could feel you holding my hand," said Cammy, gently leaning closer to Patrick. "You... were trapped with me... you were the one who made him stop hurting me..."

"I-" Patrick began before Cammy leaned in even closer and gave him a very brief peck on the lips. She gently pulled back, and brushed her hand across Patrick's cheek before smiling one last time and walking toward her front door.

"Thank you," Cammy whispered to him, opening the door and walking into her house, closing the door behind her. Patrick briefly touched his fingers to his lips, then slowly turned around and walked down the sidewalk, a look of bewilderment still plastered on his face.

__

"She... she just kissed me," Patrick thought, gently shaking his head. _"Maybe I really am the good twin..."_

---

Back at the Shinto shrine, Trunks and the other Senshi, now detransformed back into Serena, Rei, Lita, Mina, and Ami, were sitting around the middle of the room, sipping tea and trading their thoughts on the day.

"You know, I really should've gotten Darien to come along with us," said Serena. "It really would've made my job a lot easier..."

"He comes back from his school trip tomorrow," Rei replied, sipping from her tea. "You should ask him to come to the future with us."

"Hey, you're right, Rei!" Serena said, a smile appearing on her face. "Oh yeah, Trunks... don't forget those flying lessons, okay?"

"As soon as I kick Exeter's punk ass, I'll teach you all to fly, I promise," Trunks said.

"Now Trunks, I don't think your mother would like you using that kind of language," Ami replied with a giggle. _"She must be really worried about you, Trunks..."_

"Don't worry, Ami... we'll return to my dimension as soon as Patrick comes back," Trunks thought back to her, glancing toward the door. As if on cue, Patrick walked into the room, a slightly bewildered look on his face.

"Hello," Patrick said, sitting down in the circle between Trunks and Serena. "I see you're drinking tea... may I-"

"Oh... we didn't make any for you," Rei said, standing up with an embarrassed blush on her face. "I'm really sorry, Patrick... I could go make you some, if you want-"

"Here, Patrick, you can have mine," Ami said, smiling as she kindly handed her teacup to Patrick. "It's a little cold, but..."

"It's fine," said Patrick, gratefully sipping the tea. "Thank you, Ami... and you too, Rei."

"I'm also sorry I got mad at you today," Rei said, still looking at Patrick from across the circle of friends. "I didn't trust you, and-"

"I don't blame you," said Patrick, taking another sip from the teacup. "I still don't think I've earned any of your trust... I've been so cruel, especially to Cammy, which is why I can't believe... I can't believe she..."

"She trusts you?" Trunks said, turning to Patrick and interrupting his sentence. "Patrick, one thing you have to understand about Cammy is that she's extremely kind, probably even as kind as Ami."

"And part of being kind is being merciful and having the ability to forgive," Ami stated. "Cammy knows that first hand... she told you about when she used to work for the villains, right?"

Patrick nodded, but still shook his head.

"This is different... _way _different," said Patrick. "All Cammy did was attack you guys... I did more than that. I kidnapped her, I hurt her, I terrorized her, I tried to... I almost..."

"But you didn't, and Cammy saw something in you that none of the rest of us saw," said Serena. "Something that made you stop hurting her... something that made you long to repair the damage you had done. Most people don't get a second chance like you've been given, Patrick... if I were you, I wouldn't knock it."

"You know, maybe Cammy has Stockholm Syndrome," whispered Mina to Lita. "Like in this one movie I saw, where- oof!"

"And if Cammy's willing to give you a second chance, then so are we," said Lita, who had just elbowed Mina in the ribs. "Right, Mina?"

"Right," Mina half-gasped, angrily glaring at Lita.

"So... now that this is all settled, I should probably be getting back home," said Trunks, standing up and bowing to Rei. "You don't... mind, if I leave now, do you?"

"I'm going to go too, Serena... please call my mom and tell her, okay?" Ami asked. Patrick also stood up, having just finished his tea.

"Thank you... thank all of you, for being so encouraging to me... I promise that I'll do my best to life a better life, as a person and as a friend," said Patrick, graciously bowing to everyone in the circle.

"We know you will, Patrick," said Serena, who stood up and hugged him before next hugging Trunks and then Ami, in that order. "Trunks... Ami... I'm glad both of you are safe."

"We're glad for you too, Serena... you did great today," Trunks said.

"You're a wonderful leader and a wonderful friend," Ami said, tightly wrapping her arms around Serena's back. "See you guys tomorrow, okay?"

The girls said goodbye to Trunks, Ami, and Patrick once more before the three left the shrine and returned to Trunks' world, all three of them happy that this long day was finally over.

---

Meanwhile, inside the inner sanctum of Exeter's vast space station, Exeter and Sunzeki were planning out their next course of action against the half-Saiyan who had already foiled so many of their best-laden plans.

"I had to execute Pandemonium and Nikashi for their failures," said Sunzeki, describing the act with a chilling casuality. "I am sure you won't mind."

"The only thing I mind is losing Trunks, after we'd worked so hard to have him within our grasp," said Exeter. "You're... sure you can defeat the Saiyan when he returns?"

"Actually, I'm not entirely certain I can," said Sunzeki, though he seemed not at all worried about a confrontation with the Saiyan. "What about you, Exeter? Are you sure you can defeat him?"

"Of course I can," said Exeter, rising from his throne and speaking with arrogant confidence. "But I sincerely hope you can do the job first."

"I will give it my best efforts, mighty one," said Sunzeki, casually bowing to Exeter before turning to leave the room. "I suggest that you evacuate everyone you can from this vessel within twelve hours."

"And... why is that?" asked Exeter, slightly confused.

"Because tomorrow... this station will shake with a fury unprecedented in the galaxy, that is why," said Sunzeki, smirking as he left Exeter's sanctum. _"Quite a rare treat... for such a meaningless fight."_

---

"Goodnight, Ami... goodnight, my darling Trunks," said Bulma, kissing her son on the forehead as she smiled and walked up the stairs to her bedroom, letting her beautiful blue nightgown trail behind her as she walked. "I'm glad you're both safe and sound... I missed you so much today, Trunks..."

That night, Trunks and Ami lay snugly in sleeping bags in the middle of Bulma's living room, nestled warmly between the soft fabric. They were as close to one another as the separate sleeping bags would allow them to get, their faces just inches apart as they spoke, a small candle in the corner of the room providing their only light.

"Ami... I'm really sorry about what happened," said Trunks.

"Hmm?" Ami replied, thinking that Trunks was sorry about being captured and nearly killed by Pandemonium, and about the incredible strain his capture had placed on Ami's emotions. He was sorry about that, but that wasn't what he was talking about.

"Your VR visor," Trunks said, pointing to Ami's beautiful blue eyes. "My power broke it, remember?"

Ami giggled and kissed Trunks briefly on the lips.

"Your mother said she would fix it tomorrow... don't worry about it, Trunks! I'm just really surprised you've become so powerful in such a short time... you told me Saiyans get more powerful after recovering from grave injury, but... I didn't know the power-up would be so dramatic..."

"I'm glad it was, Ami... I didn't want to put you through that again," Trunks said quietly. _Now _he was talking about being captured by Pandemonium. "Ami... I just want to..."

"I know exactly what you mean, Trunks," Ami whispered, a smile on her face. "But if you want to finish, then-"

"Thank you.... so much, Ami," said Trunks, gently stroking his hand across the side of Ami's face. As he did, he could feel the slight moisture of a tear that had been streaking down her cheek for the past few seconds, and wiped it from her face with a gentleness that could only be provided by a lover's delicate touch. "I love you... I was so afraid... I'd never see you again..."

"I was afraid too," Ami whispered, another tear slowly falling down her face, this time on the other side. "All I could think about was you suffering... it... it hurt me so much, Trunks... you must have been in so much pain... I'm so sorry I didn't get there earlier, I-"

"When I'm fighting for you, Ami... I feel no pain," Trunks replied, more metaphorically than literally, of course, but Ami knew exactly what Trunks had meant, and in reply, she kissed him as deeply as she'd kissed him after winning his freedom, allowing her lips to be engulfed by his, gracefully slipping her tongue inside the front of his mouth, and then pulling away after several seconds of their lips being joined, only to repeat the beautiful kiss in a similar fashion, and then repeating twice more, their lips and tongue meeting four times in all before the two lovers slowly pulled themselves away.

"I love you, Trunks... and I promise that no matter what happens... I always will..." Ami whispered.

"I love you, Ami... and when I'm with you... there's nothing that can bring me more joy..."

Trunks and Ami kissed once more before finally allowing themselves to sleep, their hands clasped under their sleeping bags in a gentle and warm display of affection, a sign that nothing could tear the two lovers apart, no matter how hard anyone tried... together, their love would protect the universe, and at the same time, each other.

---

If I had a muse, it would be going "You write like a girl! You write like a girl!" and then I remember why I don't have a muse, because I have a sword, and I couldn't take ten seconds of that s before- uh... but never you mind, readers! All I ask of you is that you read and review! And the first person who says I write like a girl... gets a big hug! "And you do your author's notes like a girl, too!" Meh.


	18. A Twisted Battle

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: The battle was so short because I wanted to show just how powerful Trunks was... plus, I only had so much stuff to fit in this chapter. The next battle will be a bit longer...

Selfless: Yeah, I am pretty sensitive... that's why Mercury's my favorite character, because she's so nice! I think she's the nicest, anyway...

MWD: Thanks for reading the chapter, and I hope you like this one just as much!

Erika: Don't worry, Trunks will fight at least one of them very soon...

IamMe: Well, right now Trunks is the strongest of the group, so he'll be doing most of the fighting... maybe Ami will get involved!

---

The next morning, Trunks and Ami followed their usual routine, first showering, then getting dressed (both activities done separately, not together, of course!), and then partaking in yet another one of Bulma's frugal yet delicious breakfasts. After breakfast, the two went downstairs to monitor Bulma's progress on Ami's VR Visor, which Bulma had been working on all through the night.

"How's it going, mom?" Trunks asked, peering over his mother's shoulder as she delicately worked with the visor's intricate mechanics.

"It's a very complicated design," Bulma replied. "Ancient in origin, yet still very advanced and complex..."

"It was built by the ancient Mercurians," Ami said, "sort of like that Saiyan scouter you keep around."

"The original design for the scouter was actually created by the Tuffles, not by the Saiyans," Bulma said. "They just stole it when they conquered the Tuffle civilization. The designs for your visor and my scouter are actually quite different from one another... I'm not familiar with this technology, but I'm making quite a bit of progress for not having an instruction manual or schematic..."

"Just out of curiosity, Ami..." Trunks said, turning to her with a smile on his face, "what was your visor reading just before it broke?"

"It was picking up a power level of 100 million," Ami replied. "Well, actually, it was reading eight 9s... it only goes to eight digits. I probably should have known that... but I've never seen anything that powerful before. Trunks, you're... you're amazing..."

"You were amazing yesterday too," Trunks said, affectionately brushing his hand through Ami's hair. "You showed a lot of strength and courage, fighting those powerful warriors like that..."

"You... you would have done the same for me," Ami said, leaning in close to Trunks. "I couldn't let you get hurt... I love you..."

The two began to kiss, their lips tightly pressing against one another's in a display of passion much like Trunks and Ami were probably getting used to every day. Their kisses were becoming more frequent, and though they had kissed many times, every single one was special, bringing a wonderful feeling like the very first time they'd ever kissed.

"Okay, I love you both, but you're both going to have to let me work, okay?" Bulma said, pointing Trunks and Ami toward the entrance of the room. "I'll have this thing done in a few hours... why don't you guys go back to Ami's world and-"

"Oh my gosh, I completely forgot that school was today!" Ami said, gasping as she realized she'd probably already be at least two hours late. "Oh dear..."

"I'm sure your mom will understand," Trunks replied, "knowing what you were out doing yesterday..."

"She still expects me to get back on time for school if I can..." Ami said, hurrying toward the basement entrance. "I'm really sorry, Trunks..."

"No, I should be the one that's sorry..." Trunks said, a worried look appearing on his face as he ran over to help Ami teleport back to her own world. "I'll just train here while you're at school... then you and your friends can come back right after and-"

Ami nodded, then kissed Trunks very briefly on the lips before picking up the transformation wand from the kitchen table and creating a gate right in the middle of the Briefs' living room. Then, she kissed Trunks again before handing him the wand and stepping into the gate. Before Trunks could say goodbye, the gate disappeared, and Trunks was once more left alone in the house.

"That's why I'm glad I was home-schooled by my mom..." Trunks said, returning the wand to its place on the kitchen table. "See you in a few hours, Ami..."

And with that, Trunks went outside to the training chamber, turning the gravity up to 20,000 before transforming into an Ascended Super Saiyan and stepping inside, almost immediately powering up to full strength.

__

"If I'm going to finish what I started yesterday, I'm going to have to get used to all this new power..." Trunks thought. _"The fate of both of our worlds is depending on it..."_

---

"And can anyone tell me why Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most timeless characters?"

It was ten o'clock at Ami's high school, and Serena and Mina were sitting in advanced world literature class, wondering why their friend hadn't made it to class yet.

__

"I know Ami stayed over at Trunks' last night, but she couldn't have forgotten about school, could she?" Serena thought. Suddenly, she was tapped on the shoulder by the person sitting to her left. She turned her head, and saw that it was Mina, with a small, folded-up note in hand.

"Read it," Mina whispered, a sly smile on her face. Serena nodded, but before she could take the note, it was quickly snatched away by the teacher, a short woman with curly, graying hair, angrily tapping a ruler against the side of her blue polka-dotted blouse.

"I think _I'll_ read it," said the teacher, walking up to the front of the class and slowly unfolding the note. Everyone in the class began to snicker, except Serena, who was blushing brightly, and Mina, who was nervously biting into her lip, knowing that the contents of the note were _definitely _something she hadn't intended to be made public.

"This is bad, Serena..." Mina whispered.

"'Hey Serena...'" the teacher read, adjusting her reading glasses so that she was able to read the rest of the note, "'do you think Trunks and Ami are doing it right now?' Well, I don't see what this has to do with Shakespeare, but-"

Suddenly, the door of the room creaked open, and Ami, wearing her red, white, and blue sailor fuku, meekly poked her head into the room. Almost immediately, the class erupted into laughter.

"Mrs. Liyane, I'm sorry about being late," said Ami, walking up to the teacher, who was still standing at the front of the room. "I... I overslept, and-"

"You can do it!" interrupted a loud boy from the back of the class, rising from his seat. "You can do it allll niiiight looong!"

As the boy accentuated the last three words of his sentence with simulated thrusts of his pelvis, the class' laughter became even more uproarious, and Serena angrily elbowed Mina in the ribs.

"Nice going, perv!" Serena shouted, causing Mina to recoil back into her seat. "Now the class thinks Ami's some kind of slut or something..."

"Settle down, class!" yelled Mrs. Liyane, and immediately the laughter stopped, and the boy who had stood up meekly sat back down in his seat. Ami was now blushing brightly, her hand held up to her lips. "Mizuno-san, you may take your seat now... though I warn you that if you are tardy again in the future, you will be given detention for the day."

"Yes, Liyane-sensei," replied Ami, tiptoeing over to her seat at a desk just in front of Serena's. She briefly turned her head back to ask a question to Serena. "What was that boy talking about?"

"Um... nothing, really," Serena replied, glaring over at Mina while she talked. "Absolutely nothing at all..."

---

Trunks stepped into the church, a resolute stare on his face. His golden aura and his electrical field, the signature of an Ascended Super Saiyan, shined prominently around him as he walked down the aisle, a gaze of intense determination remaining in his gaze the entire time. As he reached the center of the church, five large, golden crosses slowly dangled down from the ceiling, and bound to the crosses at the wrists and ankles were the five Sailor Senshi, unconscious as the crosses slowly fell. As Trunks walked up to the very front of the church, a familiar figure appeared in front of him. It was Frieza in his final form, his giant black wings brightly pulsating with energy.

"So we meet again, Freiza," said Trunks, calmly smiling as his aura expanded. "You'd better let my friends go, right now!"

"Or what are you going to do to me, you stupid Saiyan monkey?" Frieza replied. "I've got a big surprise for you!"

Suddenly, eight perfect clones of Nikashi leapt through the stained-glass windows on the left side of the church, while eight perfect clones of Pandemonium leapt through the windows on the right. Their auras shined even brighter than Frieza's, and Trunks immediately prepared himself for a fight.

__

"These simulations will be a bit weaker than the real thing..." Trunks thought as he faced down the clones. _"But it's still better than nothing! I just hope mom programmed them right..."_

Trunks could feel a fist crashing into his back from behind, and knew immediately that it belonged to Frieza. The punch did little more than tingle, and Frieza screamed in horror as Trunks turned around and blasted him into oblivion with a single large blast of ki. Then, Trunks turned around and saw the eight Nikashis and Pandemoniums, all flying toward him at an incredible speed. As one Pandemonium came in, Trunks dodged the punch and leaned forward, catching another Pandemonium in the stomach with a powerful elbow. The Pandemonium clone doubled over and coughed up simulated blood onto Trunks' chest. Trunks was unfazed, but as he prepared another attack, he could feel his body stretched out violently as four of the Nikashi clones had lashed their whips around Trunks' wrists and ankles and were now trying to pull Trunks apart, his body suspended spread-eagle, high up into the air.

"It's always more fun with a friend, isn't it, Trunksie-poo?" shouted one of the Nikashi's, a smile on her face. Trunks smiled back at her, and his entire body shined with a bright, blue light.

"I couldn't agree more," Trunks replied. A huge wave of energy suddenly exploded forth from Trunks' arms and legs, immediately disintegrating the energy strands holding Trunks and blasting all four Nikashis back into the walls of the church. Before Trunks even had time to rest, he was assaulted on all sides by furious blows from several more Nikashis, as well as several Pandemoniums who had also decided to join in on the fun. The punches and kicks came in incredibly fast, and some of them even made contact as the rapid-fire attacks began to overwhelm the overworked half-Saiyan.

"Pathetic fool!" shouted one of the Pandemoniums, punching Trunks hard in the face. A small stream of blood began to trickle from Trunks' nose.

__

"I'm not an octopus, I can't block them all..." thought Trunks. _"But maybe this could work..."_

With speed fast enough to blind Pandemonium OR Nikashi, Trunks reached out and grabbed one of the Nikashis by her hair, then swung her right into one of the Pandemoniums, hitting him in the chest as hard as he could. The impact broke the Nikashi clone's neck, and the entire clone disappeared to simulate 'death'. The impact also shattered the Pandemonium clone's ribs, and the clone was thrown violently to the ground, creating a large explosion as it made impact. Then, Trunks flew out of the crowd toward the back of the church. When the Pandemoniums and Nikashis began to follow, Trunks fired hundreds of ki blasts at them. The blasts that were mistakenly aimed for the Senshis' crosses skillfully looped around them, catching the clones by surprise and rendering them unable to dodge. When the smoke from the blasts had cleared, nearly all of the clones had fallen to the ground, and several had been destroyed. Trunks smiled as he felt his ki aura still pulsating at nearly full power.

__

"It didn't take much at all to wipe these guys out..." Trunks thought. _"Now I'm getting the hang of these powers!"_

Trunks flew forward and smashed his clenched fists into the chest of one of the Pandemonium clones, knocking it straight down to the ground and on top of a fallen Nikashi. As soon as they'd hit the ground, Trunks had already begun preparing for their demise.

"Ka...me...ha...me...ha!!!" Trunks shouted, firing a large ki blast at the immobilized pair and obliterating them both.

A punch from a Pandemonium clone came in at the same time, but Trunks was able to easily block the punch with his forearm and knock the clone all the way back into the wall before easily disintegrating it with a ki blast. After a few more similar exchanges, all of the Nikashis and Pandemoniums had been vaporized, and Trunks slowly levitated to the ground, smiling at a job well done.

"Whew, that was a pretty good workout..." Trunks said, breathing heavily as he spoke. Sweat was running down from his face to his chest, and as he wiped the sweat from his brow, he realized that victory hadn't come easily. "Still probably have a bit of a ways to go..."

Trunks flew around, freeing the simulated Senshi from their crosses to complete the simulation. As he freed each one, they disappeared, and Trunks smiled again, knowing that though the Senshi were holograms and their peril wasn't real, it was still nice to know that he hadn't let any harm come to them, which was, in Trunks' mind, just as important as defeating his holographic opponents. But when he reached Ami's cross, he noticed something very strange. It appeared as if she had been already removed, which puzzled Trunks very much.

"That's weird, I don't remember taking her down..."

"Oh, Trunks... maybe you should look over here."

Trunks turned around, and gasped when he realized what was happening. One of the Pandemonium clones had apparently remained alive, and was now holding a glowing energy sword to the unconscious Sailor Mercury's neck. Trunks knew that both Pandemonium and Ami were just holograms, but the sight was still terrifying, and Trunks' eyes grew wide with fear.

"Let her go!" Trunks shouted, pointing at Pandemonium and charging up a ball of energy on the end of his finger. _"Mom programmed these holograms so realistically... they even take hostages..."_

"Perhaps I should just do this," said Pandemonium, slicing the blade across Sailor's neck. Without a word, the Senshi fell to the ground, instantly killed by the fatal blow. The hologram disappeared as soon as it hit the ground, and Trunks went into a rage, flying at Pandemonium and pummeling him mercilessly with several powerful punches before finally, Pandemonium disappeared, his neck shattered by a brutal kick from Trunks. The church environment disappeared as well as the simulation ended, leaving Trunks alone in the empty training chamber, on his knees.

"Ami..." Trunks whispered, his lip beginning to quiver. "It was just a hologram... a simulation... but why did it seem so real? If I couldn't protect you in the simulation..."

A tear slid down Trunks' face. He wiped it away and stood up, shaking his head.

"Get a hold of yourself, Trunks..." Trunks told himself, continuing to shake his head. "It was just... a simulation... today, it ends for real. I'm going to destroy that ship, and all the evil beings inhabiting it! I have to do it, not just for Ami, but for my mom, and everyone else!"

The door to the training chamber opened. Trunks turned around and saw his mother Bulma walking in, a tray of small sandwiches in one hand, and a glass of orange juice in the other.

"I thought all this training might make you hungry, so I whipped up some lunch really quick for you to have... you know, take a little break from all this training," said Bulma, a loving smile on her face as she set the tray and the glass of juice on the floor. "Trunks, is something troubling you?"

"It's... it's nothing, really," said Trunks, sitting down and picking up a sandwich from the tray. "How are the repairs on Ami's visor going?"

"Well, I think I've finally figured the thing out, and now I'm making pretty good progress!" Bulma said proudly. "It should be all done by the time Ami finishes school for the day!"

"That's great, mom... you're the best," Trunks said, leaning up and kissing his mother on the cheek before taking another bite from his sandwich. As Bulma started to leave, she once more noticed the troubled look on her son's face.

"It's... it's about those enemies up there, isn't it?" Bulma asked, sitting down next to Trunks, who looked up from his tray of food and began to shake his head. "Don't pretend there's nothing wrong, Trunks..."

"It's just... I'm really worried about Ami," Trunks replied, slightly bowing his head. "I know that when I go up there again, she'll want to come with me... and that's great and all, but... if she comes, she might get hurt. You know what happened the last time she got involved in something like this."

"Yes, and as I recall, she saved your life," said Bulma, patting Trunks' hand. "You've got to be a little less worried about Ami... she loves you, and you know she doesn't want you to get hurt... your battles are her battles too, and as long as you two are together, she's going to be like that, and it's just something you have to accept. I remember when your father went out to fight the androids... I wanted to go out with him, I wanted to be with him, make sure he didn't get hurt, but he just said-"

"Not... not that last time," said Trunks, shaking his head. "I mean... a long time ago... _that _last time. When she was abducted by Frieza."

"Oh, Trunks..." Bulma said, a worried frown appearing on her face. "That... she didn't choose for that to happen... Frieza came _here _and kidnapped her, she wasn't taken because she was with you... I thought you and her talked about this already, several times."

"We have, but... but what if Ami comes with me, and... and something happens?" Trunks asked, the same worried look on his face as the one on that of his mother's. "Those fiends, they've got no honor... while I'm fighting, another one could come and snatch Ami before I've even had the chance to turn around. I can't stand to see her in a situation like that again, mom! When she's hurt, it tears me apart!"

"Trunks!" Bulma shouted, her hands flying to her son's cheeks and forcing Trunks to look into her eyes. "Listen to me. Ami is strong. She is prepared for anything that could happen to her. You think she hasn't trained just as hard as you have? She's determined never to let herself be taken like that again! She doesn't want to be helpless in front of you because she knows how terrible it makes you feel! Sometimes you just have to _accept _the fact that Ami might be in danger! We're all in danger, Trunks! Everyone on both worlds, and maybe in both universes! And the sooner you and Ami destroy that danger... together, then the sooner it will go away. Until then, you just have to fight, Trunks..."

"Mom..." Trunks said, placing his hands on Bulma's and gently taking them into his own, understanding that his mother was right, understanding that he would have to put his fears aside and go into battle prepared for whatever might happen, even if it meant danger for Ami, the girl he loved.... "You... you're right... thank you..."

"I'm scared too, Trunks... every day," Bulma said, leaning closer to Trunks. "I fear for you _and _Ami... I just want the two of you to be happy... you're my son... the only thing I have left... and I love you so, so very much..."

With tears streaming down her face, Bulma pulled Trunks into a tight, motherly embrace, both of them knowing that they all had a very important battle ahead... and that the battle of evil would not easily be won, but with Trunks and Ami working together, and a little help from their friends, anything was possible.

---

After Serena, Ami, Rei, Mina, and Lita finished school for the day, they all went over to Rei's shrine... with the exception of Ami, who went to the hospital where her mother worked. Ami hadn't seen her mother in two days, and was beginning to miss her very much... plus, she probably knew about Ami being late for school, and Ami wanted to explain to her mother the entire circumstances behind her tardiness. Hopefully, it wouldn't happen again.

She entered the hospital and quickly made her way up to the office where her mother worked. She only planned to stay for a few minutes, knowing that her mother was a very, very busy person. Once she reached the office, she walked inside and saw her mother, as usual, sitting and working diligently at her desk. She looked up and smiled as Ami walked into the room.

"Mom?" Ami said, walking over and sitting down at the desk across from her mother. Marika continued to smile, though she immediately said what Ami knew she would probably say.

"The school called and said you came in two hours tardy today," said Marika, her smile quickly fading into a more serious expression. "Ami, if you start missing too much school, your grades are going to slip. Don't think I'm always going to be able to cover for you."

"I understand, mother... it was my fault, I stayed over at Trunks' house and lost track of time.... I'll try to be more alert in the future."

"You'll never be a doctor if you keep showing up late for school," replied Marika. "How do you think your patients will feel if you're late for an important surgery? It could mean the difference between life and death, Ami, you know that..."

Ami nodded again, sighing as she turned away from her mother's desk.

"I... I'm sorry I didn't come home last night," said Ami, hanging her head sadly. "I should have visited you first, just for a few minutes..."

"Your friends... told me everything last night," replied Marika, smiling and reaching out to turn Ami back towards her. "Is Trunks okay?"

A smile returned to Ami's face, and she quickly nodded.

"You... you wouldn't believe what I said last night... I was a complete nervous wreck after hearing you'd charged in there to save Trunks on your own... I told your friends that they'd better take better care of you, or-"

"They did care for me," Ami said, reaching out and touching her mother's cheek. "If it hadn't been for them, I-"

"I know, Ami, I know... they stalled Trunks' captors long enough for you to find him and save him," said Marika. "You must... really care for him to take such a big risk like that..."

"I love him, mom... with all of my heart," Ami said quietly. "If I wasn't still in school, I'd probably ask to marry him..."

Ami gulped. She hadn't confessed that to anyone before, and she worried that her mother might take it the wrong way.

"You'll stay in school," your mother said sternly. "How are you going to support Trunks and yourself?"

"I'm going to finish high school... and graduate from college too, mom, don't worry... I'll wait to marry Trunks until _after _I've finished all of my schooling... you know that more than anyone, mom... I'm going to be a doctor, just like you."

"That's an awful long time to wait," said Marika. "It'll take you two more years to finish high school... plus college, plus medical school... that's probably ten years from now until you finish all of your schooling."

"Well... maybe I can marry Trunks while I'm in medical school," said Ami, smiling. "It... it doesn't matter, really... as long as we love each other, it doesn't matter when we get married..."

"And I suppose you're not going to wait ten years for-"

"Mom!" Ami cried, blushing prominently as she immediately realized what her mother was referring to. Before she could say anything else, Trunks walked into the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"I heard someone yelling... was that you, Ami?" Trunks asked. He noticed the blush on her face, and started to speak again before Marika interrupted him.

"You know, while I am a successful doctor, I run a search and rescue business on the side.... I'm going to charge you quite a bit for that rescue my daughter performed yesterday," Marika said, smiling as she attempted a bit of humor.

"Do you take cash, check, or charge?" Trunks asked, not missing a step.

"I'm surprised you even know about checks and credit cards, Trunks... from what I've gathered from Ami, you and your mom are living in the Stone Age," Marika replied, still smiling.

"You pick up quite a bit when you visit this world as much as I have," said Trunks, putting a hand on Ami's shoulder. "You ready?"

Ami looked up and smiled at Trunks, standing and kissing him on the cheek.

"Just a few more minutes, okay, Trunks dear?" Ami said, turning back to her mother. "Mom, you don't mind if Trunks and I-"

"Have sex? Sure, there's a janitor's closet right across the hall, I'm sure both of you could fit in there," said Marika, giggling a bit at her own joke. While Trunks chuckled, Ami's entire face immediately turned a bright shade of red, her fists clenching as she became very annoyed with her mother's off-beat sense of humor.

"I've had to deal with this kind of thing all day at school, and I really would like not having to hear it from my own mother," Ami said, her teeth beginning to clench. _"Dammit, Mina... why'd you have to write that stupid note?"_

"What did she write?" Trunks thought back to Ami, her mind having inadvertently transmitted the thought. _"Something about us?"_

"Nothing... I'll tell you later. Well, Trunks and I had better get going, mom..."

"Thanks for stopping by," said Marika, standing up and walking over to Ami. "Ami, I... I'm really sorry if my little joke-"

"It's okay, mom... you were just trying to lighten the mood a bit," said Ami, wrapping her arms around her mother's back. "Thanks for making Trunks laugh... he's had a really bad last 24 hours... he needed it."

"Sounds to me like you've had it a little bit worse," Trunks said, taking Ami's hand as the two walked together out of the room. "I want to know what that note said before I go back to fight the rest of the Galactic Research Armada."

"Sure, Trunks... anything you say..."

---

Upon returning to Trunks' world and entering the Briefs' home, Trunks and Ami were immediately confronted in the living room by Bulma, who held both of her hands concealed behind her back.

"Hello, Trunks! Hi, Ami!" Bulma said, a proud smile on her face that revealed the fact that she'd either invented or repaired something, or maybe both.

"Hey, mom..." Trunks said, trying to look behind Bulma's back. "What's back there, mom? Is Ami's visor fixed?"

"Well, sort of..." Bulma said, a sly grin on her face. She revealed her right hand, closed into a fist. Then, she opened up the fist, revealing a small, blue, dot-like object on her palm. Ami immediately recognized it as her visor, and she transformed into Sailor Mercury, then pinned the small object on her ear. It was an earring, which transformed into her visor as soon as she pressed it.

"It's working as good as new!" Sailor Mercury said, scanning the various functions on the visor to make sure they all worked. "It's in perfect working order! Thank you!"

"So, what's in your other hand?" Trunks asked, trying to glance at Bulma's left hand, still held behind her back. "You're hiding something, I know you are!"

"Now, Trunks, hold on... patience is a virtue, you know," Bulma said. She slowly pulled out her left hand, also clenched into a fist. "Now, this is going to make you think you're seeing double, so..."

Bulma opened her hand. There, in the center of her palm, was a blue earring, identical to Ami's, except for the fact that it was a clip-on and not an actual pin earring.

"This is yours, Trunks," Bulma said, clipping the earring onto Trunks' right ear.

"Wait a minute, mom..." Trunks said, reaching up to the earring. "You're not giving me this just because I think Ami's looks nice, are you?"

"Press it, Trunks," said Bulma. When Trunks pressed the earring, a red visor appeared over his eyes, similar to Sailor Mercury's blue one.

"I don't believe it..." Sailor Mercury said, gasping as she looked at Trunks' new visor. "It's... identical..."

"Not really," said Bulma. "It's just a scaled-down version... you know how yours interfaces with that little computer you're always carrying, Ami? Well, Trunks' doesn't do that. Also, it can't scan for weaknesses or power levels or information. Basically, all it is is a cross-dimensional, interplanetary walkie-talkie. When you want to say something, just press the button on the earring and begin talking. Your message will be transferred in both audio and text form to the other visor. It's a function that wasn't on your visor before, Ami, so I added it in by adapting some things from the old Tuffle scouters. Basically now, if one of you gets into danger, you can quickly contact the other and you'll be able to come to each other's rescue! It wasn't too hard to do, really..."

"Mom, it's.... it's great!" Trunks said, turning around and wrapping his arms around Bulma. "Thank you..."

"Yes, this will really help both of us out quite a bit!" said Sailor Mercury, detransforming and turning to Trunks. "Now we don't have to be nearly as worried about one another... and if one of us gets into trouble, the other will quickly be able to come and help!"

"I figured that since you two are about to go into the final battle with Exeter and his lieutenants, you'd need to have some piece of mind in case something terrible happens..." Bulma said. "You... are going soon, right?"

"Actually," Trunks said, turning to Ami and taking her hands in his, a serious look appearing on his face. "I.... I..."

Somehow, Ami knew what Trunks was about to tell her. Her lip began to quiver, and she slowly shook her head.

"I... want to go to the space station alone again, Ami," said Trunks, tightly gripping Ami's hands. "This... this is something I need to do alone... I don't want you or your friends getting involved in this one, Ami..."

"Trunks, no!" Ami cried, beginning to sob. "You know what happened the last time you went up there alone! I thought... I thought I was never going to see you again!"

"But this time is different, Ami... this time we have these!" Trunks said, pointing up to his red visor, which was still over his eyes. "If anything happens to me, if I'm in any danger at all, I'll tell you immediately-"

"And I can... I can come to save you again?" Ami asked, almost pleadingly. "And the Sailor Senshi?"

Trunks nodded.

"I promise I'll tell you, Ami, at the first sign of danger... it's just that... I've got these new powers now, and I've gotten so strong, and.... and I don't want to endanger you unless it's completely necessary."

"You.... you promise?" Ami asked, and again, Trunks nodded. "Oh, Trunks.... I...."

"Ami.... please don't think I think you're in my way," Trunks replied, knowing that that's how he was probably making Ami feel. "It's just that..."

"I understand, Trunks," said Ami, who then leaned over and kissed Trunks deeply on the lips before he could say anything more. "I love you... and you know I'll always be there for you..."

"Whenever I need you, Ami... before anything happens to me... I promise I'll call you," said Trunks, reaching up and pressing his earring, making the visor disappear. "You have my absolute word."

"So... you're going then, Trunks, is that what I'm hearing?" Bulma asked, having just gone into the kitchen to obtain a cup of coffee. She took a sip, and then began to speak again. "You'd better be careful, Trunks..."

"I will, mom," Trunks said, leaning over and kissing Bulma on the cheek before turning back to Ami. "And I will call you if _anything _goes wrong... anything at all."

"I know you will, Trunks," Ami replied, ever-trusting, ever-loving, yet ever-worried at the same time. "And I promise to save you if you get into trouble..."

---

Trunks and Ami now stood just outside Rei's shrine, where they had teleported to using Trunks' teleportation wand. He created another gate leading to the space station, then handed the wand over to Ami.

"You go in and tell your friends to be ready," said Trunks, pointing toward the shrine. "Remember, I'll call you if anything goes wrong."

Ami nodded, and then looked around to see if anyone else was watching her. Once she'd made sure, she transformed into Sailor Mercury and activated her VR visor.

"Be careful, Trunks..." whispered Sailor Mercury, once more kissing Trunks deeply on the lips. "You come back soon... and you come back safe."

"I will, Ami..." Trunks whispered back, and kissed Ami one last time, their lips engulfing one another's as they slowly savored what might be, but both knew wasn't going to be, their last kiss. Finally, they pulled away, and Trunks slowly began to back into the gate. "Ami... I love you."

"I love you too, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury replied. Trunks smiled at her once more, and then backed into the gate, which closed behind him, sealing Trunks in its black void. Sailor Mercury looked down at the transportation wand, clenched tightly in her right hand. "He'll have to call me on my visor anyway... since this thing is the only way he's getting back here. I just hope it works like Bulma said it would..."

---

Trunks quickly made his way to the center of the huge space station, having transformed to his Ascended Super Saiyan state and then powering up to full power immediately upon arrival. He was quick but cautious, knowing that potential danger could lurk around every corner. He knew not of Pandemonium and Nikashi's deaths at the hands of Sunzeki, and thus suspected they could be anywhere within the station's halls, in any room, behind any door. But as Trunks navigated to the station's core, he realized that he couldn't find anyone... not a soldier, a lieutenant, a warrior... not even Pandemonium or Nikashi. Finally, he reached the very room he was looking for... after walking down a very long and very wide hallway, he arrived at a large, iron gate, heavily protected by several security locks. With one mighty blast, the gate, and all the other gates behind it were vaporized, and Trunks floated all the way through the gates to a small, well-lit blue sliding door with the word "EXETER" clearly engraved in the middle.

__

"This is it..." Trunks thought. _"Exeter's chambers.... this is where that bastard must be hiding... what a coward... he's probably not even as strong as his lieutenants... at least I hope he isn't..."_

Trunks looked to his right and saw that this door, like the gates behind, was guarded by numerous security locks. Trunks didn't have time for things like that. He placed his hand on the door, and with a single small pulse of ki, the door fell cleanly from its placing, hitting the floor inside the room with a loud thud. Trunks walked into Exeter's chambers, a large, wide room similar to the hallways Trunks had encountered before. Hundreds of computers and viewscreens lined the walls, and instead of a metallic floor was a plush, carpet, its red color bearing an uncanny resemblance to blood as Trunks slowly stepped toward the back of the room. There, behind a large, wooden desk, was a large, black chair, its backside facing Trunks, its frontside and occupant facing a large, clear window in the back of the room, with a very clear view of Trunks' ravaged Earth below, its continents brown and ruined, its waters still beautiful and blue, deceiving the carnage that had taken place on its surface. Trunks had never seen his planet from space before, and was stunned at the incredible contrast his planet appeared to represent. Though the land was destroyed and stained with horrible death, the oceans were still blue and lively, the only areas of the planet the androids had seemingly left untouched.

"It's beautiful... your planet," came the voice of the man sitting in the chair, a casual, light, almost arrogant sort of voice that Trunks didn't recognize, but immediately assumed must belong to Exeter.

"You're one to talk..." Trunks said, his voice lined with anger. "You're just like them... just like the androids that ravaged my planet and exterminated its people!"

"I'm not interested in your planet," said the voice, its tone soft and deliberate. "Or the people living on it. If you're angry about the attack on your village, ask Pandemonium... well, if you still could ask him, anyway."

"I don't care _who_ actually planned the attack, you're all responsible! Every one of you is responsible... for kidnapping my mother, for twice attacking my village and my friends, and killing one of them... for attacking the Sailor Senshi... and for trying to kill me and Ami! And since you're the leader, you're responsible most of all, Exeter!"

"Exeter? Hah..."

The person in the chair slowly turned the chair around, and for the first time, Trunks could see the young face of its occupant. The green eyes, the silver hair, the blue and gold jumpsuit, the gray trenchcoat... Trunks had never seen this person before, and still continued to think he was Exeter, until the mystery person finally revealed himself...

"My name is Sunzeki, a direct lieutenant of the supreme commander of the Galactic Research Armada," said the man, standing up from the chair and walking around the desk to face Trunks. "If you're looking for Pandemonium and Nikashi... I destroyed them for being incompetent and weak. "They captured you, and then couldn't even fight the Senshi when they tried to bust you out. My goodness, Pandemonium even fought Ami one on one, and he lost. Perhaps if her friends hadn't showed up, he eventually would have killed her, but he at _least _should have been able to stop Ami from finding you. I guess it's true what they say about love... it does conquer all."

"Then why are you trying to fight me?" Trunks asked, his ki aura pulsating brightly. "Because I'm fighting for love right now..."

"I'm feeling lucky," said Sunzeki. In a flash, his fist came flying at Trunks' face. Trunks raised up his arm and blocked the fist with the side of his wrist, a large ki wave flying off of the two warriors as their blows met. From the moment Sunzeki's fist made contact with his arm, Trunks knew that Sunzeki was far more powerful that Pandemonium... because for the first time since being healed by Rose, Angela, and Cammy, Trunks felt the sensation of pain, if still incredibly slight. Sunzeki smiled. "I've always enjoyed a challenge."

Displaying incredible agility, Sunzeki leapt off of the ground, did a forward somersault over Trunks, and landed just behind him, then struck quickly with another powerful punch. This time, Trunks stopped the punch by catching Sunzeki's wrist in his hand. Before Sunzeki could counter, Trunks released Sunzeki's wrist, leaped up, and kicked Sunzeki hard in the face. Sunzeki skidded backward for several feet, but remained standing, and blasted Trunks with a flurry of golden energy blasts. The blasts came in quickly, but Trunks still managed to block the ones headed for him. The rest flew harmlessly around Trunks and slammed into the desk and chair behind him, vaporizing them instantly.

"Exeter's not going to be too happy about that," said Trunks, "unless of course, you killed _him _as well."

"Now, that wouldn't be very smart, would it?" Sunzeki asked, stepping backward toward the entrance of the room. "Should I fail, who will fight you if Exeter's dead?"

"You think you're going to lose?" Trunks asked, stepping toward Sunzeki as fast as Sunzeki was stepping back.

"I'm petrified of you, Trunks, terrified..." Sunzeki said, smiling the entire time he was speaking. "I saw what you did to Pandemonium... blew his arm clearly off.... you think I want to be mutilated like that?"

Trunks picked up his pace, walking several steps more at a time. Suddenly, he picked up an incredible amount of speed and flew toward Sunzeki, hoping to tackle him to the ground. Sunzeki stopped walking backward at the entrance of the room and stood still, unflinching as Trunks flew at him.

__

"What's he doing?" Trunks asked himself. _"He's going to try something as soon as I get up there... I should stop... no, he's bluffing! He wants me to be intimidated by him!"_

But as soon as Trunks closed to within five feet, Sunzeki pointed his palm outward. Immediately, Trunks was blasted back by a glowing, green energy shield, all around the front of Sunzeki's body. Trunks flew back nearly halfway across the room, finally stopping and landing on the ground, barely able to maintain his balance. Trunks looked down at his arms, which were slightly burned by the powerful energy attack. He'd nearly been bowled over...

__

"So he wasn't _bluffing," _Trunks thought, reaching up to the earring on his right ear. _"I should probably call Ami... she said to call at the first sign of... no, I can't! I can't call her... I can beat this guy!"_

As Trunks pondered whether or not to call Ami, Sunzeki wasted no time, assailing Trunks with a flurry of green ki blasts. Trunks looked up just in time, and was able to block most of them with a large wave of blue ki that flew out from his palms right before the main wave of blasts hit. The rest, however, were able to get through, going around Trunks' wave and slamming into Trunks' face, side, and legs. Trunks could feel every single one of the blasts... and all of them hurt. Again, Trunks was knocked backward.

"You seem a little distracted, Trunks..." said Sunzeki. "Did I attack at a bad time?"

__

"I can't be thinking about Ami right now... this battle is important! Ami, I'm sorry, but until I know I'm in trouble, I can't let you get involved!"

With renewed fury, Trunks lunged forward and slammed his fist hard into the side of Sunzeki's face. As Trunks' fist made impact, Sunzeki cried out in pain and was tossed all the way out of the room, hitting the hard, cold metallic ground of one of the hallways and skidding across it for several seconds on his back before coming to a stop and quickly standing back up, rubbing a large, purple bruise that had appeared on his cheek. Trunks flew out of Exeter's chambers and into the hallway, where Sunzeki greeted him with a smile.

"Incredible, Trunks," Sunzeki said, smiling while shaking his head back and forth, seemingly in disbelief. "Everything... everything they said about you was right, Trunks... I've never been hit like that before in my life... what incredible power... now I know what Pandemonium and Nikashi were up against... why they couldn't hold you..."

"Pandemonium defeated me, Sunzeki," Trunks said, his eyes fixated on Sunzeki's. "He defeated me and captured me, and I was at his mercy. If Ami hadn't come to my rescue, I'd still be trapped in that dank, dirty prison cell, gagged, bound, and bleeding. I'm not afraid to admit that, because-"

"Because you love Ami very much," Sunzeki replied. "You know, it takes a strong man to admit that, Trunks."

In an infinitesimal fraction of a second, Trunks was doubled over, gasping in pain. That was all the time it took for Sunzeki to fly the length of the room and elbow Trunks in the gut, as hard as he could. Then, Sunzeki put his palm to Trunks' face and fired a flashing, golden sphere of ki that sent the half-Saiyan hurtling backward across the room. Again, Trunks managed to bring himself to a stop and remain standing. His hand briefly went up from his stomach to his lip, which he ran his finger across to check for blood. There was none. Trunks' lips curved into a smile.

"Even Pandemonium made blood come out when _he _elbowed me in the gut," said Trunks, pointing across the room at Sunzeki. "What's wrong? Is it just lack of effort?"

"Believe you me, Trunks, I'm trying," said Sunzeki, returning the smile. "Remember... I'm fighting for my life here."

Trunks and Sunzeki flew across the corridor at each other. Trunks' ki energy aura was shining brightly, while Sunzeki seemed to have no aura at all. When the two warriors clashed, however, their entire bodies seemed to be surrounded by spheres of white light as the impact knocked both of them back, Trunks to one end of the long hallway, and Sunzeki to the other end. They hovered in the air for several seconds after that, staring each other down, both of them preparing to make the next move.

"Speaking of Sailor Mercury," shouted Sunzeki to Trunks from across the room, "why isn't she here with you now? Is she afraid to fight me?"

Trunks said nothing, trying his best not to let anything that had to do with Ami get out into the open in this fight. It would only be a distraction to him... and in a fight like this, where Trunks didn't know his opponent's strength, he couldn't afford any distractions.

"I see..." said Sunzeki, slowly floating toward Trunks. "Then tell me this. If she's _not _afraid to fight me, and you're just keeping her somewhere, away from the fight... who's to say that someone's not out right now, trying to capture her, or even worse... kill her? You've noticed Exeter's gone... perhaps that's his plan, that's been his plan all along, to destroy you from the inside by destroying the one person you hold most dear... your heart... Ami Mizuno."

"SHUT UP!" Trunks shouted, his rage exploding as well as his ki aura. "Don't even TALK about Ami! Leave her OUT of this fight, you damn son of a bitch!"

His fury overflowing, his electrical field sparking, Trunks flew at Sunzeki, pummeling him with a series of brutal punches and kicks that seemed to knock Sunzeki more and more senseless with every deadly blow. Trunks could see bruises begin to form on Sunzeki as his fists and feet crashed into Sunzeki's face, chest, arms, and legs, and could tell that he was dealing a great deal of damage to his powerful opponent. Finally, after several dozen such blows, Trunks leapt backward and began charging up for a gigantic attack. His entire body glowed a bright, white glow as he gathered as much ki as he could into one gigantic blast. He extended his palms toward the battered and stunned Sunzeki, spreading his fingers as wide as he could.

"It's... all over... right now!" Trunks shouted. "FINAL FLASH!"

Like a gigantic bomb detonating, Trunks' blast hit Sunzeki and created a gargantuan boom as it exploded, filling the entire room in a bright, white flash that blinded even Trunks for several seconds. When the light finally disappeared, Trunks surveyed the damage. The blast had blown a gigantic hole in the room, creating a gash that spanned several sections of the station, but thankfully didn't puncture the station itself. Sunzeki, however, was nowhere to be found, though a wisp of black smoke had appeared where Sunzeki once was.

"I.... I blasted him... completely into oblivion..." Trunks said, gasping and breathing heavily as he finally let his arms drop to his sides. "Blew the bastard away... he deserved it... Ami... I did it... I-"

Suddenly, the room began to flash with a bright, red light. Warning sirens began to blare loudly around Trunks.

"Damn, must have triggered an alarm with the blast," Trunks said, beginning to smile as he floated into the next room through the hole he'd made in the hallway. "Serves them right... guess I'd better call Ami and-"

"Trunks..." came a raspy voice, seemingly through a speaker located somewhere in the ship. Trunks looked up to where he'd heard the voice coming from, and sure enough, a small speaker was located on the ceiling, a field of holes punched into a metallic silver disc.

"That sounds like... couldn't be...." Trunks said to himself. _"Sunzeki... I don't believe it!"_

"I must say, that was some incredible attack... I was right in the middle, too... got some pretty serious scrapes," said the voice, with a carefree tone completely unusual for someone who had just been in the middle of a Final Flash fired by a level two Super Saiyan. "Is that a third degree burn on my arm? Good thing it's not my dick, huh?"

"Where are you?" Trunks shouted, anger and frustration building in his voice.

"Where else would I be? Control room, that's the only place that has a universal intercom... that and the desk I just blew up. Well, at least your blast didn't damage this intercom, huh? Hey, if you want to finish this, hurry up and find me. If not, that's fine too... I'm losing this fight, and I'm getting pretty scared in here. You didn't blow up the bathroom, did you?"

Sunzeki chuckled loudly, and Trunks cried out in rage, his ki aura flaring up yet again.

"I'm going to find you, Sunzeki..." Trunks said, "and I'm going to FINISH what I started! _Hold on, Ami... I'm going to beat this guy and get back to you soon... I promise..."_

---

"Got any threes?" Mina asked, playing a game of Go Fish with Lita, Rei, and the three sisters (Rose, Angela, and Cammy) in the corner of the front room in Rei's shrine.

"Go fish," Lita said. Mina heaved a sigh of disappointment and drew a card from the pile in the center of the three girls. While they played, Serena, Darien, and Sailor Mercury (Ami had been the only girl to transform) stood in the opposite corner, watching them. Sailor Mercury had a worried look on her face.

"Trunks said to be ready... what are they doing playing Go Fish?" Sailor Mercury asked, annoyed at her friends, who were just trying to have a little fun.

"What if Trunks doesn't need our help, Ami?" Serena asked. "I mean, it's better to be safe than sorry, but... I don't think Rei and the others wanna be bored, either..."

"I really hope Trunks doesn't need our help," said Sailor Mercury, "but if he does, we have to be ready at a moment's notice..."

"Hey," said Cammy, briefly standing up from her game and walking over to Serena, Darien, and Sailor Mercury, "why don't we use that teleport thingy to go to Trunks' world?"

"Because then we'd have to use it twice to get to Trunks if he needs us," said Sailor Mercury. "It's best that we just stay here..."

"I know why you want to go to Trunks' world," said Serena, a smile forming on her face. "You want to visit Patrick, don't you?"

"I do not!" Cammy shouted, a blush appearing on her face. "I mean, um... I do like him, but... I just thought maybe we should see what Bulma's doing... her son's up there fighting, and I want to see if she's okay..."

__

"I wonder what Bulma is _doing right now, anyway..." _Sailor Mercury thought.

---

At the kitchen table in the Briefs' house...

"Got any sevens?" Bulma asked Patrick, sitting just across from her at the table.

"Go fish," Patrick replied, pointing toward the pile of cards at the table's center.

---

"If Ami wants to go to Trunks' world, we'll go," said Serena, "but I don't think..."

"Actually," replied Sailor Mercury, turning toward Serena, Darien, and Cammy, "I think we should go... just to see what Bulma's up to. _I'm worried that Exeter might send someone to attack Bulma if Trunks attacks him... an extra gate jump only takes ten more seconds... Trunks will be alright, I know it. He promised me."_

"Really?" Cammy said, eagerly beginning to jump up and down. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!"

"You're welcome, Cammy," Sailor Mercury replied, taking out her transportation wand and creating a dimensional gate. _"Trunks... I'm counting on you..."_

---

Aw, right in the middle of a battle, too! Well, round two of Trunks vs. Sunzeki is about to start... and are Bulma and Patrick really in danger? What IS Exeter's master plan, anyway? You've gotta keep reading to find out!


	19. Cosmic Battleground

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

GracedAngel1854: Hee... well, Ami's really nice... she wouldn't kill anyone. Except maybe a bad guy... she was about ready to kill Pandemonium, that's for sure. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Erica: Trust me, it'll be a very good round two...

Zyppora: Actually, Sunzeki's motives might not be exactly what you think... I promise a very interesting swerve!

---

"The control room... the control room... has to be around here somewhere..."

And once again, Trunks was searching the huge space station, navigating through mazes of hallways and corridors, assisted only by the occasional sign here and there. Trunks had figured that the control room would probably be close to Exeter's chambers, but after searching the entire surrounding area, Trunks hadn't come close to finding it.

"This is stupid..." Trunks said to himself, leaning against a solid white wall in one of the hallways as he took a short break from his search. "Sunzeki!!!"

"Yes, Trunks?" came Sunzeki's voice from a small speaker located just above Trunks' head. Trunks looked up and pointed his hand at the speaker, preparing to destroy it with a ki blast. "You're getting warmer, you know."

"How in the world...?" Trunks said, briefly lowering his hand and taking another look around. _"Of course... he's in the control room, where they probably have hundreds of cameras scanning all over this place..."_

"It's right down the hallway you're in right now, Trunks... the door's unmarked, that's why you couldn't find it before. You thought you were at a dead end... typical stupid Saiyan."

Trunks flew down to the end of the hallway, an area he'd scanned just a minute before. There was a simple metallic door, silver in color, with no distinctive markings. The first time, Trunks had thought it just led to a quartering area for soldiers.

__

"How do I know if I can trust this door?" Trunks thought, staring at it for several seconds. _"It's got to be some kind of trap..."_

Trunks flew back several feet from the door and pointed his palm outward, blasting the door away with a burst of energy. The ki blast hit the door and exploded, creating a cloud of smoke that lasted for several seconds. When the smoke cleared, the door had been completely vaporized, as well as a large chunk of the wall around the door. Trunks floated into the opening and was suddenly face to face with a huge room, filled with hundreds of monitors, as well as chairs for the people assigned to view those monitors. The room was completely devoid of these people, however, and all that remained was the incredibly complex machinery and computers that controlled everything within the vast space station. Trunks ignored the technology and began stalking through the room, angrily searching for Sunzeki.

Trunks didn't have to search long, because instead of finding Sunzeki himself, Sunzeki found Trunks. As Trunks turned around a corner, Sunzeki tackled him, headbutting Trunks in the chest and slamming him through walls of monitors, which sparked and exploded as Trunks was rammed through all of them. Sunzeki tackled Trunks hard into the ground, causing him to skid along the floor of the room for several seconds before finally coming to a stop just next to the wall of the room. Sunzeki's knees pressed into Trunks' chest as the half-Saiyan tried to stand. Soon after, Sunzeki began assailing Trunks with a flurry of punches to the face, the blows quickly splitting Trunks' lip and bloodying his nose.

"A sneak attack... is just what I'd expect... from you bastards!" Trunks shouted, beginning to get angry. Suddenly, his ki aura exploded, and Sunzeki was thrown violently off of Trunks and into a pile of sparking, destroyed monitors. Trunks quickly stood up and wiped the blood from his face, then fired several ki blasts into the pile. The blasts converged on Sunzeki and engulfed him in a dome-shaped wave of ki as they detonated. Sunzeki flew out of the blasts, seemingly unharmed by them, and once more began to punch and kick at Trunks, who blocked every blow as it came in, his arms moving at a rapid speed to parry Sunzeki's attacks.

"It's called strategy, Trunks... maybe you should use it!" Sunzeki shouted, striking Trunks in the side of the head with a swift, sweeping kick. Sunzeki's foot crashed into Trunks' cheek, sending him hurtling out of the control room and into the wall just across the corridor, his body making a large dent in the metal as it impacted with tremendous force. Trunks grimaced in pain as he stood, his spine slightly bruised by the sudden impact. Sunzeki casually emerged from the control room, and for the first time, Trunks could see the extent of the damage his Final Flash had done to Sunzeki's body. Sunzeki was telling the truth. His trenchcoat and jumpsuit were marked with numerous holes, and his body had sustained several severe burns, including his left arm, which had been especially damaged by the attack, with several layers of skin and muscle burned cleanly off.

"You're hurt," said Trunks, noting Sunzeki's extensive injuries.

"You're not doing too hot yourself, Trunks," Sunzeki replied. Trunks' body wasn't holding up much better, with bruises and burns in several places, as well as a few minor cuts on his face. Trunks knew he'd probably feel the effects of this battle long after it had been completed.

"Less talking, more fighting, Sunzeki," Trunks said, floating up into the air and gathering ki energy in his hands.

Sunzeki nodded, and then seemed to disappear into thin air, his incredible speed allowing him to get behind Trunks in just a fraction of a second. Trunks tried to turn around, but it was too late as both of Sunzeki's fists crashed into Trunks' back, knocking him forward with a loud scream. Then, Sunzeki flew up and slammed his elbow into the back of Trunks' neck, knocking him down toward the ground. As Trunks hit the ground, he went into a rolling somersault, turning around to face Sunzeki and blasting him with two balls of ki energy as he rolled into a standing position. The blasts hit Sunzeki on his right arm and left leg respectively, causing him to stumble back as Trunks got to his feet.

"That was a very nice counter you just pulled off, Trunks," Sunzeki said, smiling as he pretended to compliment Trunks on his fighting skills. Trunks wouldn't have a word of it, lunging forward and punching Sunzeki again, his fist slamming into the side of Sunzeki's face and knocking him all the way back down the long hallway. Trunks flew after him, reaching Sunzeki as he neared a corner and kicking him in the side, sending Sunzeki flying in a completely different direction down another long hallway. Sunzeki righted himself in mid flight, blasting Trunks with several beams of magical energy as Trunks flew after him. The beams burned Trunks' skin as they made impact, but Trunks didn't care, fearlessly picking up speed and flying right through the attack, hovering over Sunzeki and charging up a blast of his own.

"Ka...me...ha...me..."

But before Trunks could finish, Sunzeki suddenly spun around, kicking Trunks hard in the chest with both of his feet and knocking the Saiyan crashing up through the ceiling and into a completely different part of the space station.

"Aaaaaaaaah!" Trunks screamed as he continued to fly upward, flaring up his ki aura and coming gently to a stop just a few feet below the ceiling of the mysterious new room. When he came to a stop, he took a quick, sweeping glance of the room in every direction, having to squint his eyes to adjust to the dim, blue glow that provided his only light.

"What... is this place?" Trunks asked himself. The room was almost completely empty, containing only a few couches over by the wall, with several vending machines nearby. The wall itself was a large window, made of some incredibly resilient material, where the room's occupants could glance out into space if they so wished. "This must be some kind of lounge for the workers here..."

"You've got it," said Sunzeki, floating into the room and up to Trunks' level, hovering just a few feet away from the bewildered half-Saiyan. "It's very nice, don't you think?"

"Where are all the workers now?" Trunks asked, taking another look around the room. "There's... no one here."

"Most of them were evacuated back to headquarters before your arrival," said Sunzeki. "Quite a few were deployed to Earth a few days ago and killed by you and your friends, the Sailor Senshi. Still others were sent out in small ships and are now hovering around your pathetic planet as we speak."

Trunks' blood ran cold. For a second, he could feel his heart stop in his chest. Of course... why hadn't he seen it before? Exeter and the others... now Trunks knew exactly where they were.

"Of course, none have landed on the planet _yet_," Sunzeki said in a reassuring tone. "Most of our men are quite scared of your little Sailor friends... so much that they've refused to land on Earth. This is quite understandable, and besides, if you're captured by me, they won't need to land anyway."

"Where's Exeter?" Trunks said angrily, his teeth and fists tightly clenched.

Sunzeki smiled, and gave a slight chuckle, knowing exactly what Trunks was thinking.

"On one of those ships, of course, waiting for the perfect time to land," said Sunzeki. "He's hovering right over that disgusting little burg you like to call Nihimo Town. He could probably destroy it right now... maybe he's destroyed it already. It's really no concern to me."

__

"So Sunzeki was here to stall me..." Trunks thought, his eyes growing wide with terror. _"Of course... I should have known... I won't let anything happen to my friends! I've got maybe a few minutes to beat this guy... he's dead meat!"_

Trunks cried out in rage and flew at Sunzeki, his body renewed with a new sense of desperation. Trunks threw a punch at Sunzeki, which was countered when Sunzeki caught Trunks by the wrist and threw him into the back of one of the couches. Trunks hit the couch, causing it to fly back into the window, not making a dent against its transparent surface. As Trunks struggled to get up from the ground, Sunzeki fired a half-hearted energy blast, not looking surprised in the least when Trunks smacked it easily away with his hand.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to beat me," said Trunks, brushing himself off and glaring angrily at Sunzeki.

"I know," Sunzeki replied, the same smirk still on his face from before. Trunks leaned forward to strike at Sunzeki again, but was caught off-guard when a large, yellow energy blast struck him in the back, causing him to be thrust forward, where Sunzeki was waiting, his right fist glowing brightly with magical energy. He slammed his fist into Trunks' gut, and when Trunks doubled over, Sunzeki kicked him into one of the vending machines, shattering the glass and causing candy bars to spill out all over the floor as the humiliated half-Saiyan once again climbed to his feet.

__

"How did... how did that blast hit me like that?" Trunks thought. _"I didn't even see it coming, unless... it was the same one I smacked away!"_

"That blast that hit you just now.... was the same one you smacked away just a few seconds before," said Sunzeki, confirming Trunks' suspicions. "As you blocked it, it stole the ki energy from your body, making the blast stronger as it looped around and hit you right in the back, which was already badly damaged from the earlier abuse it had taken... like when I knocked you back into that wall. You remember that, don't you, Trunks?"

"I'm not amused," Trunks said, inspecting his body for cuts that might have been caused when he'd been slammed into the glass of the vending machine at such a high velocity. _"I can't take anything for granted in this fight... I've got to end this as soon as I can!"_

---

Bulma placed her final two cards down on the kitchen table. She had won her fourth consecutive hand, and now Patrick was starting to get very annoyed.

"You're not... cheating, are you?" Patrick asked.

"Of course not!" Bulma replied, gathering the cards and shuffling the deck in her hands. "You're just unlucky. Or maybe a bad guesser. Or both."

Before Patrick could reply, the door opened, and all five Sailor Senshi, as well as Tuxedo Mask, Rose, Angela, and Cammy stepped into the living room. Bulma smiled, stood up from the table, and walked out to greet them.

"Visitors, now?" Bulma asked, glancing over the group that had assembled in front of her. "What happened? Is Trunks alright?"

"He hasn't called me on my visor yet, which is a good sign," Sailor Mercury replied. _"I hope, anyway..."_

"That's good," said Bulma, her hand wiping over her brow. "For a second there, I was beginning to get a bit worried..."

Cammy walked past Bulma and stepped into the kitchen, where Patrick was sitting at the table, waiting to resume his card game. When he saw Cammy, he flashed her a brief smile before glancing back down at the table.

"Hi, Patrick!" Cammy said cheerfully, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to him. "How are you? You haven't been bored all cooped up in here like this, have you?"

"Not really..." Patrick said, shaking his head. "Bulma and I have just been playing a few card games... and yourself? How are you doing today?"

"Just waiting for the big fight to begin, I guess," Cammy said. "Well, actually, Trunks is the only one fighting right now... I guess that's good, but I'm kinda bored too... I wanna see some action!"

"Well, I don't," said Sailor Moon, walking into the kitchen and followed by the others, except for Tuxedo Mask and Bulma, who had struck up a conversation in the living room. "I can't believe I've never introduced Darien and Bulma to each other... looks like they're hitting it off pretty well!"  
  
"Careful, Serena... Bulma might just steal Tuxedo Mask out from under your nose!" said Sailor Mars, her lips curved into a devilish smile. Sailor Moon sneered at her, turning to Tuxedo Mask and Bulma and letting out a quick giggle.

"I don't think Trunks would tolerate having Darien as a father," said Sailor Mercury, trying to stifle a giggle of her own. "I remember one time when Trunks said Tuxedo Mask was as weak as a wet noodle..."

"Wha?" Sailor Moon exclaimed, her mouth wide open in disbelief. "He... he said that?"

"I wouldn't try to start anything, you guys," said Sailor Venus, stepping inbetween Moon and Mercury. "You've still got a lot of years ahead of you... wouldn't want anything crazy to happen!"

Sailor Mercury smiled, and then walked back out into the living room to hear some of Bulma and Tuxedo Mask's conversation, curious as to what these two people could possibly be talking about.

"Your son is quite brave when it comes to Ami," Tuxedo Mask said, and Sailor Mercury immediately began to reminisce about all the times Trunks had defended her from danger. "It sounds like he's gotten into quite a lot of scrapes..."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd have done the same thing for Serena," Bulma said, pointing into the kitchen, where an argument had just been started between Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars. "She's a really sweet girl... well, not right now, she isn't... I wonder what they're fighting about now?"

"Bulma's brave, intelligent, and graceful, everything you're not, Serena!" Sailor Mars shouted. "She'd be a perfect match for Darien!"

"I can't _believe _you're saying that, Rei!" shouted Sailor Moon. "I'm brave... how many times have you fought alongside me, huh? And I'm intelligent, too! I've never seen Bulma graduate from middle school!"

"That's because there _are _no middle schools in this world," Sailor Mars replied. "And _news flash_, Serena... the apocalypse happened AFTER Bulma became an adult... didn't you see her college degree downstairs?"

"Well, it's worthless now," Bulma said casually, poking her head into the kitchen. "So I guess-"

"And graceful? I'm a wonderful dancer, Rei..."

"In the Moon Kingdom, maybe," Sailor Mars said. "But remember the last school dance? You tripped and sent Darien flying face-first into the punch bowl!"

"Girls," said Patrick, standing up and stepping between the two Senshi, "don't make me use my powers, because I will..."

"You mean freezing our mouths shut?" Sailor Mars asked arrogantly. "Go ahead... I'm the Senshi of fire, I can melt it. Serena, however..."

Sailor Mars began to laugh, and Sailor Moon growled again, her entire face turning red. She pointed in Sailor Mars' face and began another loud tirade, as the others simply shook their heads in despair.

"You tried, Patrick..." said Cammy softly, as Patrick returned to his feet. "Now I _really _hope Trunks wins his fight up there..."

__

"I know you're winning, Trunks..." thought Sailor Mercury, looking up to the ceiling of the living room. _"You promised you'd have me come up there the second you started to lose... but you're so strong, Trunks... you're going to win, I know it..."_

---

Trunks and Sunzeki were now hovering in the center of the room, throwing blow after blow at one another, their punches and kicks becoming more and more furious with every strike. Trunks, fueled by powerful ki energy from his surging Ascending Super Saiyan aura, was landing the most powerful strikes, but Sunzeki, with his complicated mix of magic and ki, was landing more strikes, and was managing to block nearly every punch and kick Trunks threw. One punch that Sunzeki couldn't block landed squarely in the center of Sunzeki's chest, tossing him backward, but allowing him enough room to fire a large, green blast, sparking with red lightning all around it. The blast slammed into Trunks' chest and then disappeared, leaving Trunks doubled over in the air, screaming in pain and clutching his midsection with both hands.

__

"Damn... that thing shocked me!" Trunks thought, painfully looking back up at Sunzeki. "You're dead!"

Trunks pointed his hand at Sunzeki and fired several blasts of ki. Sunzeki hovered in place, allowing the blasts to hit him and detonate in a fiery, blue explosion. Trunks didn't even stop to breathe, flaring up his ki and flying right through the cloud of smoke. He passed cleanly through the cloud, turning around and looking back when he realized that he hadn't been able to hit Sunzeki as he passed through.

"What the..."

"Don't you know by now that I'm always behind you?" Sunzeki shouted, pressing his palm against Trunks' back. "I think you'll enjoy this one!"

A huge wave of magical energy exploded from Sunzeki's palm, crushing into Trunks' spine and sending him crashing face first into the ground, tossing up a huge cloud of smoke in the impact. Sunzeki peered down into the cloud, smiling with his arms across his chest. When the smoke had faded, it revealed a large hole in the floor, where Trunks had apparently shattered it with his incredible fall.

"If you want to fight down there," said Sunzeki, hovering over the hole, "then I guess I'll come down and oblige you."

Suddenly, Sunzeki could see several large, glowing spots on the floor, which grew rapidly until soon, the entire floor began to shine with a bright, blue light. At that moment, dozens of beams of ki burst upward from the floor, combining to engulf Sunzeki in one gigantic blast, followed by a loud, brilliant explosion. Trunks hovered in the hallway just below, his palms fully extended as he fired a huge flurry of blasts into the room.

The blasts had left a huge, hollow column, engulfing several rooms above the corridor where Trunks stood. The lounge had been completely destroyed, its couches and vending machines obliterated, with only the window on the far wall remaining intact. Once again, Sunzeki was nowhere to be found, but this time, Trunks knew better. He floated up into the column, ignoring the debris of destroyed rooms that was now falling all around him. As he reached the center of the column, he could see several large, glowing points, emanating from the destroyed rooms. The points quickly grew into energy beams, which flew into the column and converged on Trunks. Trunks stretched out his arms and formed a bright, transparent shield of ki that encircled all around his body, with blue electricity circling all around it. The beams slammed into the ki shield, pressing into it as they tried to reach Trunks. Trunks gritted his teeth, his body wincing in pain as Sunzeki's blasts intensified, putting his ki shield under an immense amount of strain.

__

"Ami... I won't let... I won't let you down... I'm going to win this fight... I'm going to come back and protect you!!!"

Sunzeki hovered in front of Trunks' ki shield, and when Trunks looked up, their eyes immediately met. Sunzeki's blasts continued to press against Trunks' shield, and all Trunks could do was try to hold back the blasts as well as he could.

"Would you like to know how those blasts are out there, and I'm right here?" Sunzeki asked, showing Trunks his hands, which were glowing bright gold, the same color as the blasts. "It's magic."

Trunks' shield shattered, and the Saiyan screamed in pain as the blasts hit him, the huge explosion filling the entire column that Trunks' own blasts had hollowed out. Trunks could feel the immense heat and force of the blast shearing away at his skin, but he kept his ki aura fully flared, his energy pulsating brightly as Sunzeki's powerful energy blast threatened to overwhelm him. Sunzeki smiled as the energy from his own blast engulfed him, his energy aura canceling out the powerful explosion's effects.

"That didn't hurt," Trunks lied as he and Sunzeki hovered in the middle of the hollow column that would now evidently be their battlefield, created by the intense fury of the battle that had raged between them.

"And your last one was pathetic," Sunzeki replied. "Maybe you should... try a bit harder next time."

Trunks' eyes widened. Sunzeki's voice, once strong and confident, was beginning to waver and rasp. Trunks could sense Sunzeki's energy beginning to weaken. Was it fatigue from the battle? Trunks felt his own aura had shrunk slightly since the battle had started, and knew that the battle was probably beginning to take its toll on both warriors. But not only did Sunzeki sound weak... he sounded hurt, even if only slightly. Trunks looked up and down at Sunzeki's body, marked with burns and bruises from the blasts and punches that Trunks had been landing all through the fight.

"I'm tired of this," Trunks said. "It's going to end now."

Trunks flew at Sunzeki, a plan already formulating in his mind. He began to throw a punch, and could detect Sunzeki's arm moving up to block. Suddenly, he did a mid-air somersault, landing behind Sunzeki and beginning to launch a kick at the back of Sunzeki's head. Again, Sunzeki began to block, and again, Trunks changed his strategy, flying backward and preparing to fire an energy blast.

"I've got all day, Trunks... if you can't decide how to attack, I'll decide for you," said Sunzeki, flying at Trunks, his eyes shining brightly with a solid golden glow. Two large beams came at Trunks, one fired from each of Sunzeki's eyes. Trunks placed up his hand to block the blasts, firing a large, blue energy beam that disintegrated Sunzeki's blasts and slammed right into the unsuspecting warrior's face, knocking him backward with his hands tightly clenched over his eyes. "Urgh..."

__

"Now he's showing signs of weakness," thought Trunks, flying above Sunzeki and slamming his heel into the back of Sunzeki's head. Sunzeki was thrown downward by the impact, but quickly stopped himself and fired a round of blasts up at Trunks from below. Trunks smacked one of the blasts harmlessly away into an empty room, easily dodging the rest by flying back. The balls of magical energy flew upward into the top of the column, slamming into it and exploding in a bright flash of light. The blast sent debris plummeting into the column. Sunzeki dodged the debris as it came down, losing sight of Trunks, who was flying down toward him with a large piece of scrap metal held tightly in his hands. When Sunzeki looked up, Trunks slammed the blunt piece of metal into his face, knocking Sunzeki into the wall of an adjacent room. The metal shattered into pieces on impact, but as Sunzeki floated out of the room with blood streaming from his nose, mouth, and a large cut above his right eye, Trunks smiled, having done exactly what he had intended to do, which was immediate damage, and lots of it. Sunzeki wiped the blood from his face, a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

"I didn't think we'd be using weapons in this fight," said Sunzeki. "I guess I started it... I _did _knock you into that vending machine... and through those monitors."

__

"Why is he so happy?" Trunks thought. _"He knows something I don't... all I know is that I have to finish him off, as quickly as I can!"_

Trunks pointed his arms at Sunzeki and sent a flurry of ki blasts down toward him, hoping that Sunzeki would have to exert a great deal of the energy he had left to block the blasts. Sunzeki chuckled, forming a magical energy shield in front of him that provided a decoy for the blasts, as the explosion destroyed the shield, not damaging Sunzeki itself. Sunzeki flew around the explosion, and Trunks didn't back down, flying straight into Sunzeki and grasping his hands tightly, the two warriors now jockeying for position in the middle of the column. Trunks fired a burst of energy from his body, tossing Sunzeki off of him and once more into one of the rooms lining the huge column. Sunzeki flew out of the room and fired a magical energy blast that looped over and behind Trunks, causing Trunks to turn around and block the blast up against his palm.

__

"He's going to try and catch me from behind..." Trunks thought, sensing Sunzeki flying up close behind him. Trunks spun back around and threw a punch straight at Sunzeki's face, hoping to catch him off-guard. Instead, Sunzeki smiled and caught Trunks' fist, knowing exactly what Trunks would do before he even did it. Trunks didn't let his surprise show, not wanting to let himself be intimidated by his opponent.

"You thought you had the perfect strategy, didn't you?" Sunzeki mused, squeezing Trunks' fist tightly in his hand. "I'm smarter than you, Trunks... you should know that by now."

"And you should know by now that you're not going to win this fight," Trunks said, punching at Sunzeki with his other fist, which was easily caught before it could reach Sunzeki's face.

"Are you sure, Trunks?" Sunzeki replied, his fingernails pressing into Trunks' skin firmly enough to draw blood.

"I'm sure," Trunks said. A smile appeared on his face. Suddenly, his hands broke free from Sunzeki's grip, and he grabbed Sunzeki by the shoulders, flinging him downward. Then, he pointed his hands at Sunzeki and pulled back his arms, gathering a huge amount of ki energy. "Ka...me...ha...me....HA!!!"

The huge beam of blue ki slammed into Sunzeki's chest, causing the warrior to scream loudly as he was pushed all the way to the bottom of the column, hundreds of feet below. Sunzeki's body was smashed through several more rooms, before a gigantic explosion appeared, filling up the entire bottom half of the column, just below Trunks' feet. He looked down into the explosion, made up entirely of his own powerful ki. When the light from his blast had disappeared, all Trunks could see was a deep crater below, with a dim, faint red light shining in the middle.

__

"Sunzeki must be down there... but what's that light? Is it one of his attacks?" Trunks thought, floating slowly and cautiously down toward the light. _"I guess I'll have to go down there to find out..."_

---

Back on Earth, the Senshi, Bulma, Patrick, Rose, Angela, Cammy, and Tuxedo Mask continued to wait patiently for any word from Trunks, which would be transmitted through the blue VR visor over Sailor Mercury's eyes.

"You're sure he's alright, Ami?" Sailor Moon asked. Sailor Mercury nodded, knowing that Trunks would contact her at the first sign of danger.

"He's winning... and he's going to come back very soon," Sailor Mercury said. "And then this will all be over..."

"I'm glad," said Bulma, looking around at everyone else in the living room. "I'm... glad that this is all about to be over."

"Mm-hmm," agreed Sailor Jupiter, nodding her head. "But we should still be ready... for whatever happens."

Suddenly, Sailor Mars gave a loud gasp. Her hands flew to her forehead, and she began to tremble slightly. Immediately, the other Senshi rushed to her side.

"Sailor Mars, what's wrong?" asked Sailor Moon, looking into her friend's eyes, having already forgotten the argument that had taken place between the two earlier that day.

"I sense... something... something terrible... it's far away, but..."

"Where could it be?" asked Rose, looking over at Sailor Mars. "Can you sense where it's coming from?"

"I think I know where it might be coming from," said Sailor Mercury gravely, a worried look on her face. "We... we have to get to Nihimo Town... right away!"

"We can use the Sailor Teleport to get there," Sailor Venus said.

"How about just using the transportation wand?" Bulma asked. "I don't want you guys teleporting and messing up everything in the living room..."

Bulma giggled.

"Plus, it'll probably drain your energy, and you're going to need to be at full strength if Trunks calls," said Bulma, a serious look returning to her face. "Just go back to your world, and then go to the town from there."

"Good idea, Bulma," said Sailor Mercury, withdrawing the teleportation wand from its holster on her ankle and using it to create an energy gate. "Let's go, everyone..."

---

Trunks floated down toward the red light, which became larger and larger the closer Trunks got.

"It's a long way to that light..." Trunks said to himself as he floated into a large, dark room, its only light coming from the huge, red orb below, as well as a small bit of light coming from the vast hole blown in the room's ceiling by Trunks. Finally, once Trunks reached a distance of about fifty feet above the light, he could see exactly what it was, not just a light, but a giant, red sphere hovering out over a vast pool of black liquid below. Sparks of black lightning were running from the sphere to the pool, and there was a long, metallic platform leading out to the sphere, with some sort of control mechanism at the end. Trunks floated down to the device and gazed at its various levers, buttons, and switches for several seconds with a look of pure puzzlement.

"That orb you see is the magical power source of this vessel," came Sunzeki's voice, causing Trunks to turn around. There, standing at the front of the platform, about one hundred feet away, was Sunzeki. "That liquid is used to channel the vast amounts of magical energy needed to control all of this station's functions."

"And what's this control panel for?" asked Trunks.

"That is to steer this station, my friend," said Sunzeki. "Right now, it's set to orbit the planet at a distance of about five hundred miles."

__

"This is the core of the station," Trunks thought as he looked around the room, and then once again at the giant red sphere at the room's epicenter. _"And that's the source of this station's power... so where do these people get their power from?"_

"Though I could fight dishonorably and try to crash the space station during the final rounds of our battle, I instead wish to finish it here, in this room... the perfect battlefield, wouldn't you say?"

Trunks stared across the walkway at Sunzeki, then slowly began to walk toward him. Sunzeki began walking as well, and soon, the two were on a collision course for the center of the walkway. They flew off of the ground and collided with one another exactly halfway across. Sunzeki was knocked to the front of the walkway, while Trunks was knocked back about thirty feet, almost back to the control panel, but not quite.__

"I need to be careful not to touch that big red ball..." Trunks thought, again taking a quick look back at the glowing red sphere. _"If that thing has magical powers like Sunzeki said, it could be very dangerous, even to the touch..."_

Sunzeki flew at Trunks and fired several blasts of ki, a few of which hit Trunks and sent him flying further back toward the sphere. A few more blasts flew past Trunks, crashing into the sphere itself. As they collided, the sphere seemed to bulge out for a second before giving off a bright glow and returning to its normal shape.

"You fool!" shouted Trunks, pointing at Sunzeki. "If you destroy the-"

"It can't be destroyed," replied Sunzeki. "Not by my magical blasts, anyway. It will merely assimilate them. Trust me, Trunks, I know these devices like the back of my hand... there are more than one in existence, you know."

__

"There must be other vessels, just like this..." Trunks thought. Sunzeki flew at Trunks and kicked him right in the jaw, sending him flying back, almost into the sphere. He regained his balance just a few feet away, leaping off of a self-generated burst of ki and flying at Sunzeki, striking him in the neck with the back of his elbow. Sunzeki hit the metal walkway and skidded almost halfway down. Suddenly, the walkway became littered with explosions, as Trunks fired blast after blast, trying to hit Sunzeki. Sunzeki artfully dodged out of the way, but Trunks' blasts had had a completely unintended side effect: they had destroyed the walkway itself, sending the control panel at the end falling into the black liquid below. Trunks gasped in horror as the metallic frame hit the liquid with a large splash, and then slowly sunk to the bottom.

"Isn't that terrible, Trunks?" asked Sunzeki, floating up to the half-Saiyan with a taunting grin on his face. "You just destroyed this vessel's only control panel."

__

"I'm such an idiot..." Trunks thought, looking back and forth between Sunzeki and the pool of liquid below. _"Wait... what's this thing going to do without a control panel, anyway?"_

More red lights flashed, and more warning buzzers rang. The room Trunks and Sunzeki were in began to shake violently.

"Without a control panel, the power to the vessel is automatically shut off, Trunks," said Sunzeki. "Now this entire station will crash to Earth! This thing is over a mile wide, Trunks... that's a civilization-ending impact! Oh, wait, I forgot... your pathetic civilization already-"

With incredible force, Trunks tackled Sunzeki, flying down with him to the pool of liquid below. Sunzeki reached up and blasted Trunks' eyes, causing the Saiyan to release Sunzeki and clutch his face, screaming in pain. Now, Sunzeki was the one in control, tackling Trunks and lowering him slowly down toward the black liquid as the two warriors skimmed across its surface at an incredible speed.

"There's one thing I'm not sure about, Trunks..." Sunzeki said as he lowered Trunks' head back toward the liquid. "Is this stuff good to drink? I don't know... you tell me!"

Trunks' entire face was submerged beneath the liquid, which quickly filled Trunks' eyes and mouth. Trunks gasped for breath, taking in a large amount of the liquid into his lungs, causing him to gasp and sputter even more. It stung his eyes like acid, and as more of his body was dipped into the liquid, he could feel an incredible shock, as if billions of volts of electricity were coursing through his body at once. His screams of pain caused even more liquid to fill his lungs.

__

"I'm going to drown... this hurts so much..." Trunks thought, horrified once more by the prospect that he could die and never see Ami again. _"I can't... I can't lose... I won't lose!"_

A wave of ki rushed outward from Trunks' body, blasting Sunzeki away and knocking him into the liquid, his entire body quickly sinking below its depth. Trunks flew out of the black pool, the vile acid-like substance still stinging his body as it slowly dripped away. He coughed, gasped, and sputtered, trying to clear out every inch of the burning fluid from his lungs. As he did, Sunzeki slowly floated up out of the liquid as well, his body feeling the same burning, stinging, shocking effects as Trunks' was. Though he had been smiling before, he definitely wasn't now, his face contorted in a look of agonized pain.

"I guess... it's not good... for you..." said Sunzeki, his teeth tightly clenched. "And you're... going to pay for that!"

Sunzeki flew at Trunks and pummeled him with a series of blows, but Trunks was ready, blocking every punch with the palms of his open hands, feeling every quick, furious blow as it came, trying his best to ignore the growing pain not only in his hands, but in the rest of his body.

Trunks caught Sunzeki's fists and quickly kicked him away. Sunzeki was undaunted, flying at Trunks again and striking with not only punches, but brutal kicks as well. Trunks tried to block most of the punches, but one particularly vicious kick caught Trunks right in the chin, and a follow-up blow to the chest sent Trunks flying upward, toward the glowing red sphere still ominously floating in the center of the room. A red warning light continued to flash, and the sirens were becoming louder and louder, a sign that the space station was quickly closing in on Earth.

__

"I've probably got just a few more minutes, tops..." Trunks thought. _"The only way to stop this thing is to destroy it..."_

A large blast slamming into Trunks' midsection drew his attention back to the fight, as a burning wave of pain swept quickly through his body. He looked down and saw Sunzeki, and then several more blasts. Trunks pointed his arm downward and fired several blasts of his own, and the two warriors' blasts met in the middle with a loud explosion that nullified them all.

__

"Now I have a few more seconds to think... how to destroy the-"

The answer was so simple, it was literally right in front of Trunks' face... or in this case, just a few feet behind. The giant red sphere, glowing above... the power source of the vessel... Sunzeki's magic couldn't destroy it, but maybe Trunks' ki could... but first, Sunzeki had to be dealt with.

__

"I have to throw as much as I can into this next blast..." Trunks thought, pulling his arms back and gathering up another large blast of ki energy, but making sure to leave enough to destroy the space station afterwards.

"Another one of _those?_" Sunzeki shouted, floating up enough to be just fifty feet away from Trunks. "I don't think so."

Trunks continued to gather energy, waiting until the absolute last moment to unleash his attack.

__

"I hope I've got enough energy..." Trunks thought as Sunzeki flew towards him. Finally, when Sunzeki was just inches away... "BIG BANG!"

"What?" Sunzeki shouted in disbelief, expecting Trunks to use a Kamehameha Wave. Instead, Trunks unleashed an entirely different attack, which hit Sunzeki at point blank range and exploded with tremendous force, engulfing Trunks' opponent in a brilliant red flash, almost as large as the orb rotating at the center of the room. The blast lasted for several seconds, and when it was over, Trunks' immediate thought was that he had destroyed Sunzeki. He hovered for a few seconds, gasping with exhaustion.

"That... did it..." Trunks gasped, clutching his chest in exhaustion and pain.

"No.... it didn't..."

"I don't believe it!" Trunks shouted, his eyes wide with shock. Sunzeki was floating just a few feet away, his body burned, his clothes nearly vaporized, but his life clearly intact. Sunzeki wore a broad smile on his face.

"You held... too much back, Trunks..." gasped Sunzeki, floating backward and smiling while clutching his chest. "But... I will admit one thing... you are a powerful warrior, Trunks..."

"You're dead!" Trunks shouted, pointing his arms at Sunzeki and beginning to charge another blast.

"No need for that... I have all I need," said Sunzeki, his body beginning to glow with a bright, white aura. "But I will promise you... we'll meet again, Trunks."

__

"No... no, he's going to escape?" Trunks thought, his exhaustion quickly turning into rage. "NO!"

"Goodbye."

And with that, Sunzeki disappeared, his body becoming nothing more than a single point of light that flashed for just a second, and then faded away. Trunks began to fire his blast regardless, as frustration began to sink in, but quickly regained his cool and conserved his energy, turning back toward the glowing sphere at the center of the room.

"No time for rage..." Trunks said to himself. "I can get Sunzeki later... he's too weak to try to go down to the planet... right now, I have to destroy this thing and stop this ship from hitting Earth! I can't let it be ravaged again... it's already experienced the androids, and I won't let-"

Suddenly, Trunks could hear a faint ringing coming from his right earlobe. His hand immediately flew up to his earring.

__

"Wait... Ami's trying to call me?" Trunks thought. _"That's strange... I hope she's alright..."_

With a bit of trepidation, Trunks pressed his earring, causing his VR visor to appear. Suddenly, he could hear Ami's voice, as clearly as if she was right in front of him.

"Trunks?" said Ami, her words also appearing on the visor in a small, clear font. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Ami..." said Trunks, beginning to wonder if Ami had called him just to see if he was alright, in which case he was touched, but still a bit annoyed. "What's going on?"

"I think something very bad is about to happen on Earth, Trunks..."

Again, Trunks' blood ran cold. His heart, already beating quite fast from the big battle began to beat even quicker, and he began to sweat even more than he already was.

"It's... it's Exeter, isn't it?" Trunks asked, his voice beginning to tremble.

"Someone... someone's just hovering above Nihimo Town... we just got here twenty minutes ago... also, there's a big... big comet, or something, headed straight for-"

__

"Oh no, no!" Trunks thought, biting his lip. _"Exeter's already there... I'm too late!"_

"I'm going to come get you, alright?" Ami said, and Trunks nodded.

__

"I still have to blow this thing up... how am I going to destroy this ship with Ami on board? I guess I couldn't have destroyed it with myself on board either... her transportation wand is the only way we'll be able to leave... I'll have to destroy the ship, and then we'll both have to leap into the gate before it blows..."

"Alright, Ami..." Trunks said, his voice continuing to tremble. "You can..."

In just a few seconds, a glowing, black gate appeared. It appeared in the middle of the air, just a few feet away from Trunks, directly over the pool of black liquid. Trunks gasped, and dove toward the gate just as Sailor Mercury stepped in, catching her in the nick of time. He quickly flew her over to the balcony of the room and gently set her down, then quickly kissed her lips.

"Trunks, what's going on?" Sailor Mercury asked, pointing toward the giant red sphere. "And what's-"

"It's the power source of this space station... this station is headed for Earth, and I've only got probably a minute to destroy it."

"What?" Sailor Mercury shouted, her hands flying up to her lips. "Trunks... you're... you're hurt..."

"I fought some guy named Sunzeki, and he was really powerful," said Trunks, hugging Sailor Mercury as she gently ran her gloved fingers over one of his wounds. "I'm... I'm alright, though... Ami, you need to make another gate, alright? We'll go to your world, and then back to Nihimo Town. I think we'll have a few seconds once I destroy the power source."

Sailor Mercury simply nodded at everything Trunks said, trusting that he knew everything he had to do to keep both of their worlds, as well as the both of them, safe. Trunks kissed Sailor Mercury on the lips again, and then floated up to the sphere, quickly charging up a ki blast.

__

"Here goes nothing..." Trunks thought, pulling back his arms.

__

"Trunks... please... please don't get hurt..."

"Ka...me...ha...me...HA!!!" Trunks shouted, firing a gigantic ki blast into the huge red sphere. The blast pierced the center of the sphere, exploding and causing the sphere to bulge violently for several seconds, but then slowly return to its normal shape. Trunks gasped in disbelief, his mouth opened wide in shock. _"I... I don't believe it... I thought-"_

"Trunks!" Sailor Mercury shouted, scanning the sphere with her VR visor. "The sphere has to be destroyed from within, with a combination of magical and ki energy!"

"What?" Trunks shouted back, floating toward Sailor Mercury. "You mean..."

"We have to... we have to go in there... and use both of our energies at the same time," said Sailor Mercury, looking up into Trunks' eyes. "That's... that's what the readout said..."

__

"No... I can't take her in there... it'll destroy her as soon as she touches it!" Trunks thought, tears beginning to come to his eyes. _"But if we don't destroy this thing... it will... it will... my world could be destroyed, again!"_

"Trunks..." said Sailor Mercury, gently reaching up and wiping a tear from Trunks' eye, a sad expression on her face as well. "You're... crying..."

"Ami... I love you... and no matter what happens..."

"We have to do this..." Sailor Mercury whispered. "Together... I don't know what that thing will do to me... to either of us... but..."

Trunks nodded, and gently picked Sailor Mercury up in his arms, then slowly floated toward the sphere. The sirens in the room were now incredibly loud, and Trunks and Sailor Mercury had to shout just to be able to hear one another... if they had chosen to communicate verbally, that is.

__

"Trunks..." Sailor Mercury thought, transmitting her words directly into Trunks' mind, _"no matter what happens..."_

"I will always love you," Trunks thought back to her, just before the two lovers entered the glowing red sphere.

---

So... will Trunks and Ami be able to survive just BEING in the space station's power source? And will they be able to destroy it in time? And if so, will they return in time to engage Exeter, who could be destroying Trunks' world, not to mention his friends, as we speak? Only two chapters remain... and they're sure to be incredible!


	20. No Rest For The Weary, Only A Merciless ...

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Zyppora: Yeah, Sunzeki's a chicken... a strong chicken, though. We'll see him again. And Trunks and Ami are pretty quick... once they destroy the power source they'll probably have enough time to make a gate. We'll just hafta find out!

Erika: Yep, a cliffhanger. I'd have finished up the cliffhanger, but I was getting tired and needed to end the chapter. Sorry for leaving you hanging!

Sonar de Mercury: Disneyland, huh? Cool! I'm gonna leave for Disney_world _this Saturday... that's why I've gotta finish these last couple of chapters before I leave (if something happens, I won't leave an unfinished story, you see). You'll see the final chapter sometime before Saturday, I promise!

MWD: Well, I'm glad you enjoy my story so much! Hope you like the final couple of chapters!

---

Still holding hands, Trunks and Sailor Mercury entered the glowing red energy sphere, and were immediately surprised to discover that being inside the sphere caused neither of them any pain.

"That's weird..." Sailor Mercury said, looking over at Trunks. "I'm not feeling anything at all... are you, Trunks?"

Trunks shook his head.

"I think we're both completely unharmed..." said Trunks, "but let's destroy this thing as quickly as we can anyway. We still have to keep it from hitting the Earth..."

Sailor Mercury nodded, and the two continued to float forward. Once they were fully inside the sphere, all the two could see in all directions was a brilliant, shining red glow, and each other. They floated further into the sphere, until Sailor Mercury's VR visor began to flash brightly.

"This is it..." Sailor Mercury said quietly. "The center of the sphere..."

"What should we do to destroy it?" Trunks asked. "Any blasts we use will fly to the outsides of the sphere..."

"We both need to release an equal amount of our energy at once," said Sailor Mercury. "You have far more energy than I do, Trunks, so you'll need to hold back... I just hope we've got enough..."

"It's alright, Ami... I'm sure we do," Trunks said, tightly gripping her hand as he began concentrating his ki. "Alright, Ami, now it's your turn to-"

Suddenly, Trunks could feel an immense, burning pain, coursing through his entire body. At the same time, he heard a piercing scream from right next to him, and he knew immediately that it was Ami who had issued the scream. He looked toward her and clenched her hand even tighter, feeling terribly distressed that Ami was in so much pain, and ignoring his own.

"Trunks... I think... it's reacting to the energy... we're giving off..." Sailor Mercury said, her voice strained. "It's reacting to our attack!"

"Then we really need to get this done quickly!" Trunks replied. "Hang in there, Ami... I'm feeling it too..."

Sailor Mercury nodded, and continued concentrating her energy, just as Trunks was doing. After several seconds of intense suffering, Sailor Mercury could no longer stand it, and screamed again, barely managing to sustain the energy she had gathered. Again, Trunks tightened his grip on her hand, leaning his face slowly toward Ami's. She turned to him, and began leaning in as well.

"I love you, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury whispered, barely able to speak. "We... we can do this..."

"I love you too, Ami..." Trunks replied, a single tear streaking down his face. "You're so strong, Ami... we're going to save everyone... together..."

The two lovers kissed, and at the same time, their combined energies were released in a brilliant, shining white wave that swept out over the sphere, disintegrating it almost instantly. The next thing Trunks and Ami knew, they were floating in the middle of the huge room, the sphere gone, and the room now collapsing around them. Quickly, Sailor Mercury withdrew the transportation wand from its casing and held it out in front of her.

"You did it, Ami..." Trunks said, wrapping his arms around Sailor Mercury in a congratulatory embrace.

"We did it, Trunks," Sailor Mercury corrected, gently kissing her beloved on the lips. "Let's go back home..."

---

Back down on Earth, in the middle of Nihimo Town, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, along with Rose, Angela, Cammy, Patrick, and Tuxedo Mask, were watching two things: the menacing figure hovering hundreds of feet over the village, his silhouette barely visible in the sun's bright glare, and the huge object from space now rapidly streaking through the sky, becoming a bright fireball as it burned in the planet's atmosphere.

"Did... did he send that?" Sailor Moon shrieked, pointing at the silhouette and then at the fireball. "We've got to stop him!"

"I think we need to stop _that _first!" Sailor Mars shouted, pointing at the fireball. "It's big enough to do some serious damage if it hits!"

"Oh, this is just like that movie I saw... that bad movie, with Frodo, and... and the guy who played God in that Jim Carrey movie, and... and, and..."

"This isn't a movie, Cammy!" Angela shouted, lightly smacking her sister on the back of the head. "This is real life, and if we don't stop that... that thing, we're all going to-"

Before Angela could say anything more, the fireball gave off a bright, white flash, and then exploded, the ball of light created by the explosion quickly filling the entire sky, briefly blinding everyone present. When the light disappeared, all that remained of the fireball were hundreds of tiny sparks, which quickly burned out and fell harmlessly to the ground as minuscule pieces of debris. The Senshi all gasped in shock.

"What... what happened?" Sailor Jupiter asked, pointing up to where the fireball once was. "I don't believe it..."

A black, swirling energy gate appeared in the middle of the group of friends, who all stepped back to allow Trunks and Sailor Mercury to emerge. Trunks had remained in Ascended Super Saiyan form, knowing that he still had work to do once he entered the village. The Senshi, the sisters, Patrick, and Tuxedo Mask converged on the two as soon as the gate closed.

"What in the world happened?" Sailor Moon shouted, tightly hugging Sailor Mercury, and then Trunks. "Did you... did you make that thing explode?"

"That was the Galactic Research Armada's space station..." said Trunks, "and Ami and I completely obliterated it."

"You mean... that was you two up there in that thing?" Rose asked in disbelief, pointing to the sky, and then to Trunks and Sailor Mercury. Trunks nodded, and then briefly stopped to think, before looking up into the sky, directly at the shadowy silhouette above.

__

"So that's _Exeter..." _Trunks thought, starting to float up into the air. _"I knew I could feel a huge power as soon as I stepped out of that gate..."_

"Trunks, what are you doing?" Sailor Mercury asked, gently grabbing Trunks' leg and pulling him back to Earth. "You're... going up to confront that thing? Look at yourself, Trunks... that fight with Sunzeki took a lot out of you..."

Trunks looked into Sailor Mercury's eyes, quickly realizing that she was right. His body, though not nearly as badly injured as it had been after Trunks had battled Pandemonium for the first time, was still aching significantly, and it was covered with bruises and cuts that Trunks had sustained during the fight, still extremely recent. Trunks knew that he wouldn't be able to fight Exeter at his full strength, but also knew that it was important to face him quickly, before he could do any damage. Trunks was extremely surprised that Exeter hadn't done anything already.

"Ami, stay here," Trunks said, pointing to the others. "Protect them as you would me... I'm going to be fine, Ami..."

Sailor Mercury nodded quietly, kissing Trunks on the lips.

"I don't know what Exeter is capable of, but this is something I have to do... thank you for understanding, Ami..."

"Don't you dare get killed, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury whispered, clasping her hands in front of her chest as Trunks floated up to confront the mysterious figure, high up in the air. As he got close, Trunks heard him speak for the first time.

"I was beginning to get a bit worried," said Exeter as Trunks finally floated up to his height and faced him from a distance of just ten feet away. "I thought I might have to fire a couple of blasts into that pathetic peasant village of yours."

"You'll leave my friends alone," said Trunks, anger beginning to fill his body once again as electricity sparked around his powerful fists. "There's a large, empty area just outside of town that goes on for dozens of miles. If we're going to fight, that's where it's going to be."

"That's quite alright with me," said Exeter, a faint, red glow representing his own powerful energy aura. "Just lead the way, Trunks."

"No... no tricks? You're not going to send anymore men into the town?" Trunks asked, a skeptical glare on his face. Exeter shook his head.

"They've all already been sent back to headquarters," Exeter said. "This mission has boiled down to just you and me, Trunks. I am to return to headquarters myself only after capturing you."

__

"Headquarters?" Trunks thought. _"Sunzeki mentioned headquarters more than a few times when I fought him... it seems this Galactic Research Armada goes a lot farther than just Exeter..."_

Trunks nodded once to Exeter, and then flew off quickly, far away from the village. Exeter followed Trunks as the half-Saiyan led him out into the open, barren wasteland.

__

"Wherever you take me, Trunks, I will defeat you... Sunzeki's already softened you up quite a bit... which should make your capture a piece of cake... but I must remember to be wary of surprises you may have in store... Pandemonium and Nikashi weren't, and it cost them their lives..."

"Where are they going?" asked Sailor Moon, pointing up at the vast trails of ki energy Trunks and Exeter had left behind in their wake.

"They're going to fight away from the village," Sailor Mercury said, her voice becoming a fearful whisper. _"Trunks... I can't even communicate telepathically with you, you've already flown so far away... I don't want you to do this, Trunks... I know you have to defeat Exeter and save us, but... I can't stand the thought of what might happen to you..."_

But at the same time, Ami knew that if anyone could defeat Exeter and liberate the two worlds threatened by his presence, it was her beloved Trunks, the strongest person she had ever known. His powers were incredible, and if he couldn't defeat Exeter, no one could. It was with that thought that Ami was able to smile, if only briefly, as she began to realize that once again, Trunks would be the heroic, brave warrior she'd always known him to be.

---

Trunks and Exeter landed in the middle of a vast, empty field, with no trees or grass in sight. Only harsh, barren ground existed, littered with the debris of homes and buildings shattered by the unnatural apocalypse that had occurred just years before.

"I'm going to give you a chance to go quietly, and come with me without a fight," said Exeter, "though I know that you'd never be willing to leave everything behind."

"You know me well," said Trunks, his brilliant aura of golden ki and blue electricity flaring prominently around him, as always. "I'll fight you until my death, Exeter."

"Unfortunately for you, that will not happen," Exeter replied. "Didn't you already hear me? You will be captured, Trunks, and personally taken to Galactic Research Armada headquarters by me. I already have a ship that I will use to leave the planet, in a secure location where neither you nor your friends will ever be able to find it."

"You can't fly a ship when you're dead," Trunks said. He flew at Exeter, using the same strategy that had worked so effectively with Pandemonium, a constant, aggressive attack. When Trunks reached Exeter, however, Exeter disappeared, a red spark being the only thing Trunks' fist ever made contact with. As Trunks' fist crashed through the spark, a wave of pain swept up through his fist, then through his arm, and then quickly overtook his entire body. He fell to one knee, screaming and clutching his arm, which was now burning with a bright red flame and racked in a tremendous amount of pain. Exeter reappeared just behind Trunks, looking down on the agonized half-Saiyan and slowly shaking his head.

"I'd expected far more out of you, Trunks," Exeter said, pointing his hand at Trunks and beginning to charge up an energy blast. "But I guess-"

Trunks immediately leapt into the air and flew at Exeter, striking him in the jaw with a powerful punch and sending Exeter flying backward. Exeter quickly steadied himself and fired a blast at Trunks, who saw the blast coming and swatted it away, just in time.

"You're just like Pandemonium and Sunzeki," said Trunks, charging up two more energy blasts in his hands. "Quick, with big, flashy attacks and lots of tricks. I'm not impressed."

Trunks lunged forward and fired two large, powerful beams of ki at Exeter. The beams flew around one another as they rushed forward, combined into one large beam just before slamming into Exeter, detonating in a gigantic, spherical explosion. Trunks retained his fighting stance as the explosion swelled outward, knowing that Exeter could come flying out at any second. Suddenly, the huge ball of ki stopped moving, freezing completely and hovering in the air.

"What in the world is going on?" Trunks muttered as the huge ball of ki began to close in on itself, rapidly compressing smaller and smaller. "Hey!"

The ki ball finally compressed to a size just a little bit larger than Trunks' head, hovering in front of Exeter. The ball was now surrounded by a barrier of red energy, transparent so that Trunks' ki ball could still clearly be seen.

"Is this yours, Trunks?" Exeter asked, smiling at Trunks' stunned expression. "I should probably give it back."

Exeter leapt backward and kicked the ball of glowing ki at Trunks, hard enough to send the ball flying at nearly the speed of sound, giving Trunks only a fraction of a second to get out of the way. He barely dodged the sphere as it flew to the left and exploded behind Trunks in a brilliant surge of ki even larger than the one created when it had exploded for the first time. The force of the blast sent Trunks flying forward, nearly catching him off guard as Exeter once more disappeared and then reappeared just in front of Trunks, launching a deadly kick at the Ascended Saiyan's head. Trunks, fueled by a surge of his incredible strength, was easily able to grab Exeter's foot and twist it, cracking the ankle it was attached to and eliciting a gasp of pain from its unfortunate owner. Trunks then leapt above Exeter and slammed both of his feet into his chest, sending Exeter crashing to the ground, creating a large crater in the ground and throwing up a huge cloud of smoke and dust.

Not losing a step, Trunks pointed his arms at the crater and fired an intense flurry of blasts, throwing up more dirt and creating a huge energy explosion. When the smoke disappeared, Exeter was lying face-down in the middle of the crater. Trunks floated down to the rim of the crater and began walking toward Exeter, who was struggling to stand, a thin stream of blood trickling down one side of his face. As Exeter reached his knees, Trunks grabbed him by the neck and roughly lifted him to his feet, releasing his neck and punching him in the face repeatedly, every blow causing Exeter to stumble back up the crater. At about the fifteenth punch, Trunks suddenly found his fist stopped in mid-punch, and soon, his entire body had stiffened up, unable to move.

__

"I... can't move! It feels like something's taken control of my body!"

Trunks was then sent flying into the side of the crater, smashing through layers of packed earth and stone as he was forcibly tunneled through the hard ground. Exeter flew up and into the hole Trunks had made, quickly catching up with the half-Saiyan and blasting his chest with a large, red energy beam. The beam sent Trunks flying back up, where he burst through the surface and bounced along the ground several times before coming to a stop thousands of feet away from the huge crater. Exeter's attack had sent Trunks nearly a mile, and it took him several seconds to stand up, trying as hard as he could to shake off the effects of being thrown about like a ragdoll. He looked up and saw Exeter, just floating out of the hole from where his body had been thrust painfully through the earth.

__

"I don't believe it..." Trunks thought, wiping the dirt from his face. _"I've never been thrown about like that by an attack..."_

As Trunks had been pushed through the ground, he saw the grim reminders that the world he was living in, the world he was fighting for, had already seen too much carnage. Countless skeletons and remnants of bones lay buried where people had died or had been buried, victims of the androids in mass graves, far too numerous to count.

But Exeter didn't give Trunks any time to dwell on that, as he had leapt forward and struck Trunks in the chin with a powerful uppercut, knocking him up into the air. Exeter leapt up to make another strike, but Trunks was ready, quickly recovering and kicking Exeter across the chest, which knocked the warrior down and sent him skidding across the ground, throwing up huge chunks of dirt and stone. Trunks pointed an arm at the skidding Exeter, firing a ki blast that exploded against Exeter's stomach and sent him backward and up into the air. Trunks flew at Exeter, his energy fully charged, ready to strike perhaps a critical blow against his powerful adversary. Trunks' momentum, however, turned into shock when he saw Exeter quickly stop and fly back toward him, holding his arms apart and creating a large sphere of ki energy in the space between his outstretched palms.

__

"That's ki energy..." Trunks thought, sensing a much stronger level of power than he had previously been sensing from Exeter's attacks. _"I didn't know they could use... of course, high-level warriors in their group use ki and magic... but... why would he..."_

A huge ki beam rushed at Trunks, and as it drew close, Trunks extended his arm to stop the blast, charging up a beam of his own and releasing the energy just in time. Trunks' blast pushed Exeter's blast all the way back to the midpoint of the two warriors, and then continued to push, all the way back toward Exeter himself.

__

"My ki is stronger than yours, Exeter..." Trunks thought as his ki pushed Exeter's blast further and further back. _"You've made your last mistake!"_

Suddenly, Trunks could feel a sharp, stinging pain in the middle of his hand, as if a gigantic needle had been pressed into his palm. Trunks let out a loud scream, and suddenly, his beam of ki disappeared entirely, allowing Exeter's beam to smash into Trunks and detonate in a huge explosion, knocking Trunks to the ground and creating another huge cloud of smoke and dust as another crater was created in the severely scarred battlefield.

Exeter gave a smile of satisfaction and floated down to the ground, standing on the rim of the crater Trunks had made and watching the stunned half-Saiyan climb to his feet.

"Do you know why your blast failed, while mine blew right past yours?" Exeter asked. Blood was now streaking down several large gashes on Trunks' chest, where his flesh had been slashed open by impacting on the hard earth. "It took me only a small amount of magic to completely nullify your blast, Trunks."

__

"That was the sting I felt in my hand..." Trunks thought as he floated up out of the crater. _"Exeter blasted me with magic in the center of his ki blast..."_

Trunks looked down at his right palm, which was covered in blood. The flesh in the middle of his hand had been completely sheared away, and blood flowed freely from several gashes carved out around the burn.

"I won't surrender," said Trunks, though his golden aura of ki had already begun to waver, and Trunks could feel his strength already beginning to slip away. _"This isn't good.... two fights in a row... damn, it feels like my entire body is giving up on me..."_

Trunks shook his head. He couldn't be losing this fight, he couldn't be letting everyone back in Nihimo Town, everyone in Ami's world, everyone in his world down... he had to win! He had to defeat Exeter, just like he had to defeat Crysthea, Frieza, Pandemonium, Sunzeki... too much was at stake. Trunks could not, would not lose. He flew at Exeter and pummeled him with a series of brutal punches and kicks. Exeter stumbled back from the crater, not even bothering to block or dodge Trunks' attacks as they came in. Exeter leapt into the air, pointing his arm at Trunks. Trunks could see that his attacks were doing damage, Exeter was bruised, he was bleeding, he was feeling just as much pain as Trunks... or so it seemed, anyway. Trunks couldn't possibly know how much strength Exeter had left. All he could sense was the huge amount of energy Exeter possessed, and all he could see was the glowing red energy aura around Exeter's body.

Using the energy he'd quickly gathered, Exeter fired a powerful beam of energy down at Trunks, hoping to catch him off-guard as he emerged from the crater. Trunks dodged the beam to the right, clutching his side in pain as the beam whizzed past him.

__

"It hurts just to dodge now?" Trunks thought, removing his hand from his pained ribs. _"I have to finish this!"_

Trunks pointed his arms at Exeter, firing a furious flurry of repeated ki blasts, becoming more and more desperate by the second. Exeter quickly and easily blocked the blasts, his hands quickly moving back, forth, and to the side to deflect each and every single one. As Trunks gasped in shock, Exeter lunged forward and punched Trunks in the face, once again launching him face first into the center of the crater.

"This time, you won't get up, Trunks!" Exeter shouted. Trunks watched in horror as a red, goo-like substance began to seep out of the numerous cracks in the crater. Before he could stand, the substance had seeped over his knees and arms, and then quickly engulfed his head, rising and expanding to fill the entire crater. Trunks gasped for breath, but found himself completely paralyzed in the thick ooze, trapping his submerged body in the center of the crater. Exeter waved his hand, and the substance suddenly froze over into a thick block of red ice.

__

"Can't move... can't breathe... what's happening to me?" Trunks thought, struggling to move in the thick ice that encased his body, trapping him in the now crypt-like crater. Exeter floated above the entombed Trunks, his arms glowing brightly with magical energy.

"I'd leave you like that, but like I said, I have to take you alive, so..."

Exeter pointed his arms at the crater and began firing countless blasts. The immobilized Trunks was helpless to stop the huge beams of ki, which hit the red ice and shattered it on impact before raining down on Trunks himself, who screamed in pain as all of the blasts began hitting him at once. The blasts had a deadly effect on the already badly-injured half-Saiyan, burning his flesh and putting an incredible strain on his bones as Trunks tried desperately to maintain his ki aura. A huge column of fire burst forth from the center of the crater, searing Trunks even more. After a few seconds, Exeter's latest attack was over, leaving Trunks floating above the shattered crater that had once been his prison, his body smoldering and hurting from the series of brutal blasts. Exeter looked up at Trunks, his eyes narrow with contempt.

"That was supposed to knock you out, Trunks... I can't believe you're still-"

"Believe it, Exeter!" Trunks shouted. He lifted up his arms and flared up his power aura, determined to turn the battle around before it was too late.

"This has dragged on far too long, Trunks..." said Exeter, floating up to meet Trunks in the air. "I'd anticipated a difficult battle... but this hasn't been difficult at all, merely annoying. It's time you accepted your fate."

With a loud scream, Trunks lunged at Exeter again with another flurry of punches and kicks. Exeter was prepared for the attack, but not quite for its ferocity, and he could definitely feel each blow as it made contact. Trunks wasn't done yet, and he was going to fight Exeter with all of his strength, to the bitter end. After the furious round of punches and kicks, Trunks pointed both of his arms at Exeter's chest and blasted him with a beam of golden ki that knocked Exeter into the ground just outside the crater. Quickly gathering as much energy as he could, Trunks pulled back his arms and prepared to use the attack that he hoped would turn the tide of the battle.

"Ka...me...ha...me...ha!!!" Trunks shouted, firing a large beam of blue ki at Exeter, still lying face down on the ground. The blast hit Exeter and exploded, leaving a shining blue dome of energy on the ground where the beam had landed. Trunks then gathered up even more energy, flying down to the ground and placing his arms out in front of his body. "Final Flash!!!"

A brilliant white light overtook the blue dome, and Trunks flew back to escape it, landing just behind where his attack had landed and collapsing to his knees on the ground, gasping for breath.

"That... better have... gotten him..." Trunks breathed, slowly rising to his feet. "Way too much... energy... to waste... on a useless attack..."

When Trunks once again stood up, he looked into the bright flash and slowly watched as it faded away, waiting to see if his attack had done what he'd intended it to do. Even if it didn't destroy Exeter, if it hurt him enough that Trunks could finish him off with the energy he had left, then...

But the combined might of the Kamehameha and the Final Flash had not only left Exeter alive, but still standing, and completely unharmed. A spherical red barrier that Exeter had formed around himself just before Trunks' Kamehameha wave came in had blocked both attacks, and in fact was still in place around Exeter, with sunlight glistening off its surface. Trunks gasped in disbelief, stumbling several steps back before collapsing once again to one knee.

__

"No... no, he blocked them both!" Trunks thought, horrific memories of his defeat at the hands of Pandemonium flooding back into his mind. Surely at full-powered Ascended Super Saiyan, Trunks was invincible... or at least he thought. Once again, Ami was right... once again, Trunks was about to be defeated.

"Just a little bit of magic, Trunks... now do you see why this fight is fruitless?" asked Exeter, lowering his barrier and slowly walking toward the stunned half-Saiyan. "You never had a chance against me, Trunks."

"That's... a lie, Exeter..." Trunks gasped, heroically climbing back into a standing position. "I will never... allow myself to be defeated... by the likes of you!"

Trunks ran forward toward Exeter and punched at him again, a weak, half-hearted sort of desperation blow that Exeter could easily dodge, swinging just out of the way to the right as Trunks launched a kick screaming toward his chest. Exeter dodged this blow by leaping back slightly, escaping the kick and then returning the blow with a kick of his own, hitting Trunks in the side of the head and knocking him flat on his back, blood spewing from his nose and mouth as the back of his skull impacted a large rock on the barren ground.

"That's never good, Trunks... a concussion," said Exeter, smiling amusedly as Trunks weakly stood up once more. "You might even have brain damage... though it would probably be hard to tell."

Trunks flew at Exeter yet again, charging him for what must have been the hundredth time in the fight, at least by Trunks' count. Realistically, the number was much lower, but fights always seem a lot longer when you're losing, and Trunks was losing quite badly. Exeter blocked Trunks' blows with one hand, then pushed the half-Saiyan back with a wave of energy that nearly knocked Trunks to the ground. Trunks retained his balance, taking a fighting stance while feeling the last vestiges of his Ascended Saiyan energy coursing about his body. His electrical aura was still quite impressive, though that deceived the fact that his body's strength was rapidly failing with every attack that he or Exeter made. Every punch, kick, and especially ki blast was putting a huge drain on Trunks' immense power reserves, and by his own estimate, his Kamehameha and Final Flash combined had sapped about one-third of his energy. The worst part was that even combined, they were completely useless, blocked against a magical shield that Exeter barely had to exert any of his own energy to form. Trunks struggled to remain standing, raising his arms up defensively as Exeter slowly walked toward him. When Exeter was just a foot or two away, Trunks continued to hesitate, trembling as he wondered whether or not it would be completely worthless to attack.

__

"Ami... I've barely put a dent in this guy... maybe if I wasn't exhausted from fighting Sunzeki... maybe if I'd have gotten the chance to heal first..."

"I'm getting so terribly sick of this," said Exeter. "The problem is that you're still quite capable of putting up a fight because of those pesky powers of yours."

As Exeter continued to speak, his right hand began to glow an eerie black glow. Trunks could only stare at Exeter's glowing palm, wondering if the next attack would be the finishing blow Trunks had dreaded so much.

"It's time for that to end, Trunks... say goodbye to your precious Super Saiyan 2."

__

"Did Exeter just say what I think he-"

Exeter's glowing palm slammed into Trunks' chest, and almost immediately, Trunks could feel not only the wind being knocked out of him, but most of his strength as well. He flew backwards and landed face down on the ground. His ki aura shrunk instantly, and the electricity that had been sparking from his body completely disappeared. Trunks had been literally knocked out of his Ascended Saiyan state, forced into reverting to a regular Super Saiyan. As he weakly stood up, he could easily sense the incredible drop in his power level.

__

"No..." Trunks thought, looking down at his hands. _"It's... it's gone... I'm not an Ascended Super Saiyan anymore!"_

"I should probably tell you what I've just done," Exeter said, rapidly walking toward the severely weakened Trunks. "I've locked your most powerful transformation away using one of my favorite techniques, the Fist of Restriction. You won't be able to access your Super Saiyan 2 abilities for days, Trunks... which leaves you utterly helpless to fight me."

Exeter dove upon Trunks, pounding his body with a series of punches. Trapped as a regular Super Saiyan, every punch was brutal and bone-shattering, and after only a few punches, Trunks was tossed to the ground, his body racked with pain.

__

"Without my Super Saiyan 2, Exeter will be able to beat me in a matter of seconds!" Trunks thought, desperately trying to climb to his feet. _"This isn't good..."_

"Say good-bye, Super Saiyan!" Exeter shouted, pointing his palm at Trunks and charging up a magical blast. "Now that you're in this state, it should only take one blast to finish you off!"

Trunks clenched his fists, knowing that he would be helpless to stop the attack in his weakened state. He only had one alternative, something that Trunks knew would only prolong a crushing defeat, but it was better than being knocked out in just a few more seconds. Trunks clenched his fists, channeled as much of his remaining strength as he could, and began his Ultimate Super Saiyan transformation. His muscles bulged, and he could feel an incredible strength returning to his body. He stood up and allowed the blast to hit him in the chest. The force of the blast knocked Trunks backward, but he remained standing, and more importantly, remained in the fight. Exeter's expression changed from a smile of victory to a sneer of annoyance as he realized he hadn't defeated Trunks quite yet.

"If I could use my Fist of Restriction more than once every few hours, I'd lock _this _pathetic transformation too," Exeter grumbled, pointing at the muscularly enhanced Trunks. "But it's no matter... you're much slower now."

"In my other form, you'd have defeated me in less than a minute," Trunks replied. "At least this way, I have a chance. _A very small chance... but a chance nonetheless... I can't let Ami down!"_

Exeter flew at Trunks and battered the half-Saiyan with another series of punches and kicks. Trunks' reduced speed made it nearly impossible for him to dodge, and he soon found himself tossed to the ground again, the might of Exeter's assault nearly too much to bear.

"Dammit!" Trunks shouted in frustration, standing up and firing another beam of ki at Exeter. Exeter ducked out of the way, blasting Trunks with an energy beam of his own. Again, Trunks' transformation had made him tremendously slower, and all he could do was watch the gigantic beam of ki as it slammed into him, detonating in a horrific explosion that knocked Trunks flat on his face. Exeter hovered over the fallen warrior for several seconds, taunting him as he wearily climbed to his feet.

"You're going to be mine, Trunks... soon, this will all be over..."

Trunks crawled up to Exeter, grabbing onto the warrior's legs and using him to climb to his feet. As Trunks got to his knees, Exeter kicked Trunks in the forehead, knocking him away and clearly indicating that he didn't like being used by Trunks to stand up.

Trunks hit the ground on his back and skidded for several feet, coming to a stop just in front of a large, gray boulder that had been imbedded into the ground as some kind of grave marker for a village wiped out by the androids. Trunks grabbed onto the top of the boulder and used that to steady himself, ignoring the blood and sweat now pouring down the sides of his ravaged body.

__

"This... this is what I'm fighting for..." Trunks thought as he looked at the grave marker, remembering all of the lives in his world that had been shattered by evil before, and that Trunks had promised would not be shattered again. _"Everyone... everyone who survived... every child that has been promised a better future... not just my friends, not just my mom, not just Ami... but everyone!"_

Trunks turned around, looked up to the sky, and let out a loud scream, sending a wave of golden ki energy flying outward in all directions. He then looked back down and gazed into Exeter's face, curled into a glare of impatience as he watched Trunks power up for one last gasp of a fight.

"You're done now, right?" Exeter asked, looking into Trunks' angry, narrowed eyes. "Because if you are, I'm quite ready to finish this."

"I won't let you win, Exeter..." Trunks said. "You've battered my body... you've restricted my most powerful transformation... but... but I'll never surrender!"

__

"How many times have I heard this before?" Exeter thought to himself. _"I really should end this quickly, before headquarters becomes impatient..."_

"Ami, I don't know if I'm going to win this one... but no matter what happens to me... wherever you are, I just want you to be happy and safe! If I'm going to lose... I just want you to know... how much I love you..."

---

Instead of just standing outside, the Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, Patrick, and the sisters had gathered inside Chris' house, where they could await Trunks' return in the comfort of a well-kept home. Chris and his mother had graciously allowed their guests to fill the couches and chairs in the living room, and were very appreciative of the conversation their numerous friends had provided.

"Trunks is fighting right now..." Chris said, looking up at the ceiling while sitting next to his 'special' friend Angela on a one-person chair that the two had somehow squeezed into together, which both were enjoying rather well. "So after this fight, it'll all be over?"

"That's what we're hoping," said Sailor Moon, sitting on a couch inbetween Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury. Over the past few minutes, Sailor Moon noticed that a very worried look had quickly begun to appear on her blue-haired friend's face. "Ami? Are you alright? You're starting to look pale..."

Sailor Mercury stood up from the couch and began pacing the room, glancing back and forth between her friends and the door.

"Guys... I can barely sense Trunks' energy anymore," said Sailor Mercury. "A few minutes ago it used to be incredibly prominent, but now... now I can barely feel it... something's happened to Trunks."

"Maybe he just got done beating Exeter, and he detransformed!" Rose said, trying to reassure her friend. "I mean, that could be it!"

Sailor Mercury shook her head.

"I'm getting that same feeling... that I got the first time Trunks was captured... he's in pain, you guys... he's losing the fight..."

"Ami..." Sailor Moon began, starting to get up from the sofa to comfort her friend, but quickly recoiling into her seat next to Tuxedo Mask. _"She's probably right... Trunks... Trunks _could _be losing... but how could Trunks lose? When I felt his power, it was... it was so incredible... it was overpowering... how could anyone that strong lose? Even to someone like Exeter? It just doesn't make sense!"_

"Trunks..." Sailor Mercury whispered, beginning to reach down to her ankle to withdraw her teleportation wand. Almost immediately, Rose, Cammy, Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter got up from their seats and lunged toward Sailor Mercury, trying to stop her from leaving. They grabbed her arms and pulled her struggling form back toward the couch, despite her loud and shrieking protests.

"Calm down, Ami..." said Sailor Mars, pulling Sailor Mercury back to the couch. "We have to let Trunks fight this battle on his own... we know you want to help, but-"

"Let me GO!" Sailor Mercury screamed, desperately trying to escape the grasp of her well-meaning friends as she swung her body every which way in an attempt to extricate herself. "You... don't... understand! You can't understand! I love Trunks, and I'm going to help him whether you like it or not! I-"

"Let her go," said Sailor Moon firmly, standing up and looking into Sailor Mercury's eyes with an expression of deep calmness on her face. "Ami loves Trunks... and she knows that he could be in great danger. Though we all care deeply for Ami... who are we to stop her from going to protect her one true love?"

"But Serena, if we let Ami go... if we let her go to where Trunks is fighting... she could be killed!" shouted Sailor Jupiter, tears starting to streak down the frantic Senshi's face.

"Don't you care about Ami?" shouted Rose, still tightly holding the struggling Sailor Mercury's arm in her vice-like grip. "We're her friends... we can't let her go off and die like this!"

"I know how all of you feel, but... if something happens to Trunks... Trunks and Ami are lovers, soulmates, two parts of the same whole... for Ami, losing Trunks is a fate worse than death..." Sailor Moon said calmly, her eyes locked on the desperate, tearful eyes of Sailor Mercury, her best friend, the kind, sweet, gentle girl who had been the first to join her in her fight against evil... and who now shared a love identical to hers. She could understand perfectly Ami's determination to save Trunks, because if her beloved Darien were in similar danger... there would be nothing stopping her from coming to his rescue. It took everything Sailor Moon had to say the words that would allow Sailor Mercury to go to Trunks... to maybe throw her life away in a battle she couldn't possibly win. But if Ami wasn't allowed to go to him... somehow, that would be eternally worse... she would die either way.

With a great deal of hesitation, the girls released their hold on Sailor Mercury, who gently bent down and retrieved the teleportation wand from its holster around her ankle. She lifted it up in front of her, preparing to create a portal through which she may never return.

"I... I love you all..." Sailor Mercury whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you... Serena... thank you... everyone... I promise.... I promise..."

"We know, Ami..." Sailor Moon whispered back, reaching up and wiping the tears from her friend's face. _"You will come back, Ami... you and Trunks... that's what I believe..."_

---

Trunks attacked Exeter with all his might, every one of his blows dodged easily by the much-faster Exeter, who was just wearing Trunks down now for an attack of his own, one that would end the battle, and Trunks' freedom, for good. As Trunks continued his futile assault, he thought once more of pressing the button on his earring and telling Ami one last time... one last time that he loved her... but he knew that if he told Ami he was losing, she would come... she would rush into the battle herself and be killed instantly. No matter what, Trunks couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let Ami be sacrificed for his sins...

__

"I promised you, Ami... that I'd tell you at the first sign of danger... but... I can't let you be hurt... I can't let you get involved..." Trunks thought as he threw forward a punch that was caught by Exeter, his fist locked in the tight grip of Exeter's powerful fingers. _"I love you too much..."_

Exeter released Trunks' fist and countered with a furious punch that knocked the battered, bleeding, and incredibly exhausted half-Saiyan to the ground once more. Trunks' head slammed against the dirt, and Trunks could feel the wind being knocked out of his body as his spine crushed the cold, hard surface of the earth. He began gasping for breath, coughing up blood and turning onto his stomach to allow the suffocating red liquid to slowly escape from his lungs, forming a crimson pool on the ground.

Of all the battles Trunks had ever fought, of all the times he'd lost and come this close to death, his entire body filled with so much pain, he knew that this one was probably the most hopeless of all. He had nothing, no Ascended Super Saiyan, no hope of healing or regaining his powers, no one to help him... except the one person Trunks knew would be lost, knew would be defeated, knew would be destroyed... if Ami showed up, Trunks would have to watch her death... and that was the thought that scared him most of all.

Trunks had been reduced to this... hoping he'd never see his beloved again, because if he did, he would have to watch her die, just like he'd almost had to experience her death at the hands of Frieza, so long ago, but still so vivid in Trunks' mind that it seemed like yesterday. Trunks didn't fear his own death, but the deaths of everyone he loved... Ami's suffering, Ami's death... the mere thought drove Trunks to tears that streamed down his face, mixing in with the pooled-up blood on the ground.

__

"Ami, I love you... and I never want to see you again... because I don't want to see you die..."

---

What a depressing chapter, ne? Trunks is getting his butt kicked, and this time, it looks like there's nothing that can save him, right? Certainly Ami can't... but she's sure going to try! Only one chapter left... and trust me, it'll be something you'll remember the rest of your life!


	21. The Birth Of The Extreme

DISCLAIMER: Neither DBZ or Sailor Moon are owned by me. Any characters in this story are the property of their original creators. (Example... Akira Toriyama owns Trunks, Naoko Takeuchi owns Ami, and I own Rosemary, Angelica, or Chamomile, though I'd be willing to trade. XD)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to _Love In A Ruined World_, my Mirai Trunks/Ami romance fic from last year. (The Trunks in this fanfic is Mirai Trunks, and the Bulma in this fic is from Mirai Trunks' future timeline.) If you haven't read _Love In A Ruined World_, you can still read this, but you might be confused, so if you want to read the first fic in the series, it's in my profile. In the continuity of both series, this fic takes place after Mirai Trunks goes back to the future after the Cell Saga, and after the SuperS season in the Sailor Moon continuum.

Reviewer Thanks-

Erica: Yes, Trunks is getting beaten DOWN! Ami to the rescue again? Perhaps...

IamMe: Expect several surprises in the last chapter... I'm pulling out all the stops!

Sonar de Mercury: The thing I'm most worried about is flying in a plane on the day before July 4th. That's why I finished this story before I left... if something happens I don't wanna leave an unfinished story! And yesh, they're about to fight for each other... hope you like!

Zyppora: Ah, but Bulma doesn't have any Senzu Beans left... won't be any easy outs for Trunks and Ami this time!

MWD: That's the big question of the chapter... actually, it COULD be a little bit of both! wink wink

GracedAngel1854: That's okay, I'm just glad you reviewed! Hope you like this final chapter!

---

The fight was nearly over. Both Trunks and Exeter knew that, though Trunks was still in denial, desperately trying to will his body to fight just a few minutes more... though in the back of his mind, he knew that the longer the battle lasted, the more chance there was of Ami showing up out of the blue and endangering herself by jumping in to save him. With that possibility weighing down on him, Trunks somehow found the strength to stand, his body trembling with pain. Exeter was standing just a few feet away, his red energy aura flaring, ready to put the knockout blow on his battered opponent.

"Why do you keep getting up?" Exeter asked, though he and Trunks both knew the answer. "Still... it matters not. You will be in my possession in just a few short moments, Trunks."

Trunks pulled back his fist and launched a punch at Exeter. The punch, normally mighty and brutally effective against a normal opponent, was futile in the grip of Exeter's powerful right hand, tightly squeezing Trunks' clenched fist.

"That's not going to make it any easier," said Exeter, his fingers clamping tightly down on the bones of Trunks' hand, which began to crack and shatter under Exeter's grip. Trunks let out a loud scream, all of his strength absolutely useless in his slow, clumsy Ultimate Super Saiyan form, which had bought Trunks time and a great deal of pain, but nothing else, certainly not anything that would help him win the battle.

Exeter released Trunks' fist, then blasted the half-Saiyan backward with a burst of magically infused wind, knocking Trunks flat on his back yet again. Trunks' bruised spine hit the ground hard, but by now Trunks was numb to that sort of pain, having been dealt so many other pernicious wounds in his battle with the menace Exeter. And yet... maybe there was a silver lining. Ami hadn't shown up yet, and for some reason, Trunks trusted Exeter's assurance that once he had been captured, there would be no further attacks on Earth, in his universe or Ami's. If he was to be killed, at least Ami would survive... and that was all he could hope for now.

---

Ami's first gate from Nihimo Town had to teleport her to somewhere in her own world first before she could go back to assist her beloved Trunks in his. She'd teleported to her home, the large and fancy apartment she shared with her mother. She knew that if she was going to fight for Trunks, she could very well be dying for him, and if that was the case, she wanted to have one last conversation with her mother, the woman who had given birth to her, had raised her even after her father had left... who had helped so many people as a doctor, and was the constant inspiration for Ami to do the same. Ami wanted to tell her mother so many things... but Trunks was running out of time, and there was only time enough for Ami to tell her one, the most important thing of all... the thing they both already knew.

Ami had detransformed after stepping out of the gate, wanting to talk with her mother not as Sailor Mercury, the princess of a millennium ago, but as Ami Mizuno, the girl whom her mother had loved for sixteen years, and would continue to love for the rest of her life. She found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, sipping from a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper, her face buried quite well in the previous day's events. When Ami first entered the kitchen, her mother didn't notice her, but when Ami pulled up a chair and sat down, her mother looked up, and a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Ami... you're back... does that mean you've won?" asked Marika, setting her coffee on the table, a look of relief becoming evident in her eyes. Ami frowned and shook her head, and Marika's smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared on her face.

"I... I just came to say something before I went back to help Trunks," Ami replied, trying to speak confidently to her mother, but betraying that confidence with trembling words and a quivering lip. "Mom, I..."

"Something happened... something happened, didn't it?" asked Marika, getting up from the table and walking over to her daughter. "Ami, there's something you're not telling me..."

"I think... I think Trunks is losing again," Ami said, her last few words being choked up by a sob that had started deep in her throat. "So I... I'm going in to help him..."

"Just like last time," Marika replied, starting to shake her head. "Ami... Ami, I... is Trunks in a lot of danger?"

Ami wanted to shout at her mother, she wanted to scream, thinking that she had made that point obvious just a few seconds earlier.

__

"Of course Trunks is in danger!" thought Ami, the words she'd wanted to yell, but held back along with the tears that were just starting to come up to her eyes. _"It _is _just like last time! He could be dead right now, or..."_

Ami, overcome by worry and dread, and now once again confronted with the grim thought that Trunks... the person she loved with all of her heart and soul, a part of her that if erased would mean the eternal suffering of the whole... could die, _would _die if she didn't come to save him, bowed her head down and once more began to cry, tears streaming down her face just as they had when she'd been forced to watch Trunks beaten by Frieza, just when she'd found his nearly-dead form trapped in Pandemonium's prison cell. The entire time she knew Trunks, she had to live nearly every day with the thought that he might die... that he was going to get into battles where he would be hurt, maybe killed... why did she put herself through this torture? Why did she love someone who would constantly be in this kind of danger?

Because every second of peace, of calm, when she didn't have to face the possibility of his death, when she and Trunks could be together, happy, in each other's arms... was worth fighting for, suffering and dying for... and she knew he felt the exact same way.

But that thought couldn't bring her tearful, trembling form solace now, not in one of those moments when Trunks was in danger and Ami was confronted with the possibility of his death. Only her mother, with a gentle, calming embrace, could bring some sort of comfort to Ami, and reduce the incredible burden she was about to bear.

"I love you, Ami... and I can't stop you from going to save Trunks... because I know you love him with all of your heart..."

"You... used to love daddy like that, didn't you?" asked Ami, turning around and returning her mother's embrace, briefly reverting to her youthful, innocent childhood of years past, where she could see her parents together, in love, just like she and Trunks were now... though she and Trunks would always remain together, unlike her mother and father... she knew that from the very start.

Marika smiled and nodded briefly, though she quickly replied to Ami's statement with something she'd picked up from experience, the experience of having her own true love depart from her of his own free will, and never return, leaving her and the child they had created together behind.

"I... I did love your father, Ami, but... but your love is different," said Marika, wiping the tears from Ami's face. "You and Trunks... share an incredible bond, something that Kazeko and I could never claim to have... you feel his emotions, his happiness, his sadness, his fear, his pain..."

"Does that... have something to do with both of us having gifts?" asked Ami, thinking that perhaps her bond with Trunks was stronger because of their powers.

"No," said Marika, gently shaking her head. "It's because you're different people... better people than Kazeko and I... and I'm not afraid to admit that, Ami... you're my child, my wonderful, wonderful child, and I'm so glad you could find someone that truly is your soulmate... and that you cherish him so dearly..."

"...that I would die for him," said Ami, finishing her mother's sentence. "Mom... I... I won't die... Trunks won't die... I'll bring him back, just like he's brought me back so many times... this isn't just my fight, it's our fight, and we're going to win... I promise."

Wiping her tears, Ami hugged her mother one last time. Then, she transformed into Sailor Mercury and created a black energy gate with the transformation wand, which swirled just behind the Water Senshi's body.

"Ami... I love you..." whispered Marika, watching her daughter and the gate disappear right before her eyes. Then, she slowly backed into the chair that her daughter had occupied just moments earlier.

__

"I know you said you'd be alright, Ami... but..."

As Marika sat down in the chair, the tears began to flow. She sunk her face into her hands and began sobbing, fearing more than she ever had that she had seen her beloved daughter for the final time.

---

Trunks could not find the strength to stand, at least not in time, for Exeter was walking quickly toward him, and would reach the half-Saiyan in just a matter of seconds. Every move that Trunks made caused his body to tremble with pain and collapse to the ground, putting him all the way back at square one. He had just struggled into a sitting position when Exeter picked him up by the collar of his tattered black muscle shirt and lifted him to his feet, his legs barely able to support his weight on their own.

"If you're... going to capture me... then do it now and get it... over with..." Trunks growled through clenched teeth, his strength spent, his will to fight gone. _"Maybe I'll find some way to escape once he gets me aboard the ship... I couldn't escape on my own last time, but... at least Ami's not going to get involved..."_

"That's the spirit," replied Exeter, a rare smile forming on his battle-weary face. "Broken. Just the way I like it."

"Break this, you demented son of a bitch!"

Suddenly, Exeter could feel the impact of several large, cold blasts of energy all slamming into his back at once and creating a large, icy explosion that formed just behind his back, sending shards of ice slamming into him.

__

"No... Ami... no!" Trunks thought, just before being rudely tossed to the ground by Exeter, who turned around to face his attacker. There, standing beside him with an aura of light blue magical energy radiating outward from her body, was Sailor Mercury, a look of pure hatred on her face the likes of which Trunks had never seen before.

__

"I will not let you die alone, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury thought to him, keeping her hateful gaze fixed on Exeter's face. _"I... I couldn't stand to know you were in pain and there was nothing I could do about it..."_

Her eyes briefly glanced behind Exeter to Trunks, and when she saw his broken, battered form lying on the ground, a loud, shrieking gasp escaped her lips, followed by a stream of tears from her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?" Exeter shouted, his own gaze now fixated on the determined Sailor Mercury. "Trunks told me you'd come for him... not verbally, of course, but his eyes told the whole story... he was terrified the entire fight. Not that I would destroy him, but that you would come and I would destroy you. Well, you know what they say about terror... it's a self-fulfilling prophecy."

A deep bank of dark blue clouds began to fill the sky above the battlefield. Within a few seconds, Trunks, Exeter, and Sailor Mercury were being drenched in freezing drops of magical rain, an attack that Sailor Mercury had only used in training, and never in an actual fight, concerned about its potentially low level of effectiveness. Her gaze shifted back to Exeter, whose body was quickly becoming caked in ice as the incredibly cold drops froze on contact with his skin.

"You know, that attack is affecting Trunks just as much as it's effecting me," said Exeter, pointing to Trunks, who was laying just behind him on the ground.

"There are certain attacks of mine that, through training together with me, Trunks has developed an immunity to," said Sailor Mercury, an angry, yet very calm tone in her voice. "This is one of them."

"Seems that I'm immune as well," said Exeter, easily melting the ice from his body by emitting a tiny bit of magical energy. "Your pathetic attacks won't even put a dent in me."

Exeter pointed his palm outward at Sailor Mercury, and she was quickly flung through the air, her body bouncing roughly across the ground several times before coming to a stop nearly a hundred feet from her original position.

"Ami!" Trunks screamed, mustering all the strength left in his voice to call out to her. _"Dammit... she's going to die... it's all my fault!"_

Exeter lifted off of the ground and flew at Sailor Mercury just as she began to stand, her arms thrust outward into the icy rain still plummeting to the ground. As Exeter continued to fly at her, large, pointed icebergs suddenly burst upward from the ground, attempting to impale Exeter as he flew past. Several icebergs jutted up just in front of them, but he easily flew right through the large spikes of ice, shattering them in his wake and quickly reaching Sailor Mercury once more. With one backhand to the face, she was left lying face down on the ground, a large gash across her cheek from the force of the blow. Though the icebergs had stopped, the rain continued to fall, beginning to coat the ground with a thick layer of solid ice. Exeter floated just above the ice as he slowly went over to Sailor Mercury, now struggling to pick herself up from the slippery ground.

"What's the matter?" Exeter said, more angry than taunting. "Can't recover from your own attack?"

Sailor Mercury looked up at Exeter, her own eyes still glazed over with hatred, not showing the slightest bit of fear. He leaned over her fallen form, preparing to extinguish his ill-prepared adversary once and for all before returning to his true prize, the battered half-Saiyan he'd left just a few hundred feet behind him... or at least he thought he did. Just as he began charging up a blast to annihilate Sailor Mercury, he felt a large beam of ki slam into his back, knocking him ever so slightly forward and causing him to turn around, his eyes now meeting the eyes of Trunks, who had gained a miraculous second wind and was floating just a short distance behind him, his body pulsating with the last bit of his remaining ki.

"You... leave her out of this!" shouted Trunks, his arm pointed straight outward at Exeter. _"Ami... you have to go, right now! You have to get as far away from here as possible! Take the teleportation wand and go!"_

"I'm not leaving you, Trunks!" Sailor Mercury thought back to him, getting up off of the ground and putting a few feet of distance between Exeter and herself. _"I love you, and I won't let you die!"_

"She's forced her way into this, Trunks," said Exeter. "I can't leave her out now... it was her decision to make, and you can't expect to be able to make it for her."

Exeter turned around and immediately received a punch to the gut from Sailor Mercury, whose fist pulsated with magical energy, just like the rest of her body. Before she could strike again, she was once more knocked to the ground by Exeter, this time kicked in the chest and sent sprawling, her back and head hitting the cold, hard, icy ground at the time time.

"This will be quick," said Exeter, once again pointing his arm at Sailor Mercury. "I have an annoying Saiyan to capture."

Trunks fired off several more beams of ki into Exeter's back, screaming as he pushed his body to the limit with all of the ki energy he could muster, creating a huge, column-shaped explosion around Exeter's body that Sailor Mercury was just barely able to escape, leaping out of the way and watching as Exeter was swallowed up by the huge burst of flashing, golden energy.

__

"Ami... I almost hit you..." Trunks thought, realizing how close his blast had come to hitting Sailor Mercury. _"Are you alright?"_

"Yes, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury replied, looking at Trunks as his blast continued to rage beside her. _"I... I..."_

"Thank you... for coming, Ami," Trunks thought. Ami already knew he didn't want her here, and reiterating that fact would only distress her more, probably the last thing she needed. _"I love you..."_

The column of ki suddenly disappeared, and Exeter flew at Trunks with a shout of rage, firing an energy blast that knocked the Saiyan once more to the ground, then landing right in front of him and standing over his fallen body.

"This ends now!" Exeter shouted, raising his foot over Trunks' head. "I'll knock you out and then deal with your foolish Sailor Mercury!"

"You'll deal with me right now!" Sailor Mercury shouted, running inbetween Exeter and Trunks and stretching her arms out to her sides, forming a t-shaped barrier between the two warriors. _"Trunks... I'm sorry..."_

"Ami, no!" Trunks thought desperately, trying to pick himself up from the ground. "Ami!"

With one swift gesture, Exeter moved around Sailor Mercury and kicked Trunks in the chest, sending him flying high up into the air. Then, he turned his attention back to the now screaming Senshi.

"I've changed my mind," said Exeter, angrily staring at Sailor Mercury, who still had her attention focused on Trunks, flying upward in almost a straight line. "He'll come down eventually... just in time to notice you've been vaporized."

__

"Trunks!" Sailor Mercury thought, fearing not for herself, her only thoughts completely focused on the fate of Trunks, helplessly soaring into the stratosphere, probably even out of the range of her telepathy. _"No..."_

Still flying through the air, Trunks could do nothing to stop himself, watching the rapidly shrinking Exeter and Sailor Mercury on the ground below.

__

"By the time my momentum runs out, Ami will be... I can't let that happen! Not after everything she's done for me... I promised myself I wouldn't let her die..."

Sailor Mercury tried to use another attack, but found herself unable to gather any magical energy at all. Exeter smiled, his own aura briefly flashing blue for a split-second.

"That's something Trunks didn't get to see, since he can't use magic like you..." said Exeter. "I can absorb small amounts of magic if I'm close enough to the user... looks like your luck has just run out, Ami Mizuno."

Trunks could feel his strength beginning to return as his rage built and his fists clenched. His body began to slow, and then stop, leaving him hovering in the air nearly a half-mile off of the ground, still able to see Exeter and Sailor Mercury clearly below. His ki aura expanded, and once more regained its familiar golden luster.

"I will... NOT let... you hurt Ami again... do you hear me?" Trunks shouted as he felt an incredible, intense strength quickly filling every muscle in his body. His golden ki aura began to rapidly expand, growing even larger than it had been when Trunks was an Ascended Super Saiyan. Electricity coursed around his head, arms, chest, and legs, and his muscles, already swelled to a very large size as an effect of his Ultimate Super Saiyan form, grew slightly larger, bulging outward as blue sparks of electricity sparked around them. Exeter felt the intense surge of strength and looked up to the sky, gasping at what he saw.

"That... that's impossible!" Exeter shouted. "I sealed your Ascended Super Saiyan form! You can't do that!"

"It's different, Exeter," said Trunks as he rapidly floated back down to earth. His aura was incredible, even engulfing Exeter from a distance of twenty feet. "You sealed my regular ascension, but now, I've ascended in my Ultimate Super Saiyan form."

Sailor Mercury gasped, stepping back from Exeter and staring at the newly-transformed Trunks, her mouth wide open in shock.

__

"You never cease to amaze me, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury thought, trembling as she felt the immense surge of power coming off of Trunks' ki aura.

"Ami, you have to get as far away from here as you can," thought Trunks back to her while continuing to stare at Exeter with a cold, intimidating gaze. _"Don't worry about me, Ami... I'm hurt, but now I know I have enough energy to win."_

"It doesn't matter whether or not you've ascended," said Exeter, his own aura dwarfed by the incredible glow radiating from Trunks' body. "You're still incredibly slow, and all the strength in the world can't make up for that!"

"Trunks, be careful!" Sailor Mercury shouted. Exeter turned around, and with an angry growl, smashed his arm across her chest, sending her tumbling and skidding across the ground. She came to a stop just a couple of seconds later, her eyes closed, blood trickling from a large gash just above her left eye.

"Now that she's out of the way," Exeter began, "let's finish this."

Trunks' heel crashed into Exeter's neck, knocking the powerful warrior into the ground, even creating a small, severely cracked crater on impact.

"That's for what you did to Ami... you hurt her, and I will never forgive you!" Trunks shouted, leaping into the air and firing a large flurry of golden ki blasts at Exeter. The blasts all slammed into Exeter at once, creating a huge explosion that swept quickly across the battlefield, keeping its distance from Sailor Mercury, who was still lying on the ground, fading in and out of consciousness. Temporarily abandoning the battle, Trunks flew over to Sailor Mercury and gently helped her to her feet. She smiled and blinked at Trunks for a second as Trunks wiped the blood away from her face.

"Well, this is familiar..." Sailor Mercury whispered, referring to Trunks' battle against Frieza, where he had also helped her after she was hurt. "You're sure you're going to be alright?"

Trunks nodded, gently wrapping his arms around Sailor Mercury in a light embrace.

"Thank you... so much, Ami," said Trunks, briefly glancing toward the large crater where Exeter lay. "You helped me so much... you saved my life... just like last time..."

The two lovers looked into each other's eyes, their arms still occupied in their embrace. Smiles were on both of their faces, and for just a brief moment, the two completely forgot about everything... the battle, their injuries, the danger they were still in... only their love mattered, only the fact that they were both still alive, and now in each other's arms.

"You... how could you get that powerful in such a short time?" Exeter shouted, slowly rising up out of the crater. Trunks pulled away from Sailor Mercury and floated toward him, his aura glowing brilliantly and threatening to blind Exeter if he stared directly at it. "Headquarters didn't tell me about the possibility of a transformation like this..."

"That's because there's never been a transformation like this before," Trunks said. "No one's ever ascended from the Ultimate Super Saiyan form. What you are seeing now is a unique event. You should feel lucky."

The cold rain that continued to fall across the battlefield began to freeze onto Exeter yet again, and as he intensified his aura to melt the ice, he could see Trunks flying at him at an incredible speed closer to an Ascended Saiyan's than an Ultimate's. He raised his fists to block just in time, catching Trunks' leg as it swept toward his chest. He flew up higher into the air and threw Trunks to the ground with incredible force. Trunks couldn't stop, slamming into the bottom of the crater and throwing up an enormous cloud of dust. Exeter extended his arms all the way out to his sides, causing the icy rain to stop in place, as if frozen in time.

__

"He took control of my magic!" Sailor Mercury thought, watching as her icy raindrops were commandeered by Exeter. _"Trunks, look out!"_

The drops suddenly reformed into sharp, pointed ice needles, that were then sent flying toward the center of the crater, all of them aimed straight for Trunks. Trunks stood up and pointed his arm out at the needles, blasting them with a large, intense beam of ki. The ice needles were vaporized, and the blast continued upward. Exeter flew to the right, narrowly escaping Trunks' blast as it flew out into space. The skies above the battlefield cleared, Sailor Mercury's magically generated clouds disappearing as the ice that they had spawned was destroyed.

"You tried to turn Ami's attack against me..." Trunks said, his anger clearly showing through his focused expression. "That's the last mistake you will ever make!"

Trunks flew up to Exeter and punched at him, but Exeter was once again able to escape, leaping out of the way and firing a magical blast that hit Trunks in the side, knocking him backward. Exeter then flew out ahead of Trunks, kicking him in the back of the neck and sending him tumbling forward through the air. He then extended his arm, forming a long, glowing red energy sword held tightly in his hand. Trunks turned around only to see Exeter lunging toward him with the blade, barely able to leap out of the way in time. The blade slashed across Trunks' left arm, cutting a long, bloody gash and causing Trunks to clamp his right hand down over the wound as Exeter leapt back toward him with the sword. Still holding his hand over his arm, Trunks thrust forward with his leg, dealing an authoritative boot straight to Exeter's face. Exeter was sent flying high into the air, his nose and jaw instantly shattered by the powerful kick. Ignoring the pain of the cut, Trunks pulled back his arms and began concentrating his energy into a ki blast.

"Ka...me...ha...me...HA!"

The huge beam shot straight out at Exeter, who replied with a large, red beam of his own, a beam of ki energy with magical energy rotating around it, giving the beam a drill-like appearance as it and Trunks' Kamehameha wave jostled for position in the air.

"Damn..." Trunks said, clenching his teeth while looking down at the wound on his arm. "That wound won't let me keep this blast up much longer... I gotta try another strategy..."

Sailor Mercury ran out to the rim of the crater, watching Trunks and Exeter's battle with a worried look on her beautiful face.

__

"I believe in you, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury thought. _"You won't lose... you're going to win... you have to win!"_

Trunks nodded at her, and then intensified his blast, which slowly but surely began plowing toward Exeter, his own blast quickly faltering in the wake of Trunks' powerful beam.

"This is... this... this isn't happening!" Exeter shouted as his own beam disappeared and he was subjected to the full force of an explosive Kamehameha wave. Trunks saw the explosion from below and smiled briefly at Sailor Mercury before flying up to meet Exeter, knowing that the blast probably hadn't destroyed him. Sure enough, the smoke from the blast dissolved long before Trunks reached Exeter, who now had a badly burnt right wrist and hand, the part of his body that had felt the brunt of the attack. His previous calmness was quickly being replaced by a frantic rage, a sign that Exeter knew that the state of the battle had rapidly shifted.

Trunks charged another blast, but Exeter flew downward, trying to keep his distance from his physically stronger opponent. He formed two flashing white light sparks in his hands, which floated up to Trunks and began to encircle him rapidly, their light blinding the Saiyan as they flashed past his eyes.

__

"What kind of an attack is this?" Trunks thought to himself. _"Some sort of Solar Flare or something?"_

Suddenly, the sparks disappeared, and Trunks found himself trapped inside a small, floating white energy sphere that hovered in the air and gave Trunks a severe shock whenever he touched the edges.

"I didn't want to have to use that attack on you, Trunks, since it requires quite a significant portion of my own energy," Exeter yelled up to the trapped half-Saiyan. "But if you insist on making this fight difficult, then I have no choice."

The entire sphere began to fill with a light even brighter than the two sparks Exeter had created it from. Trunks quickly closed his eyes and began to feel an intense burning as the white-hot light scorched every inch of his body, helplessly trapped inside the glowing magical sphere.

"Trunks!" shouted Sailor Mercury, able to see through the light with the help of her VR visor, now rapidly scanning the sphere, searching desperately for any way Trunks could escape. _"If he doesn't get out of there soon, he'll be burnt to a crisp!"_

Trunks screamed out in pain, his fists tightly clenched as he began focusing his energy. He knew that if he was going to escape the burning light, he would have to blast his way out.

__

"I just hope I have enough energy to neutralize one of Exeter's most powerful attacks..." Trunks thought, this time transmitting it to Sailor Mercury's mind.

__

"Of course you have enough, Trunks... you told me so yourself..." Sailor Mercury thought back to him, smiling a reassuring smile even though she knew Trunks wouldn't be able to see it. _"I've scanned the sphere you're trapped in... haven't found any weaknesses yet, but-"_

"But I'll be able to neutralize it... I have the energy... thank you, Ami."

A brilliant explosion of energy burst forth from the sphere, and a loud yell could be heard as Trunks powered out of Exeter's deadly trap. Exeter screamed as the wave of energy continued outward and rushed over his own body, hitting him like a battering ram and temporarily knocking the wind out of him.

__

"No one's ever... ever been able to counter the Luminous Deathglow before..." Exeter thought, his mouth wide open in shock. _"Dammit... if I'm going to win this fight, I have to win it now!"_

"Countering that attack took up a lot of my energy," Trunks thought. _"I've got to finish Exeter off quickly... if not, I might tire out again, and then I'll be in serious trouble!"_

The energy explosion faded, and Trunks and Exeter were now hovering at opposite sides of the gigantic crater, with Sailor Mercury watching from the crater's rim, her visor constantly scanning Exeter for weaknesses. She was determined to help Trunks in any way she could... even though Trunks' power was great, his speed was still hampered slightly by his muscular frame, and Exeter's repertoire of attacks was far more varied. If Exeter gained even the slightest advantage, the scales could tip toward him yet again.

Trunks and Exeter flew at one another, their energy auras both prominent and impressive as they entered into a violent collision course, both warriors headed straight for the center of the crater. When Trunks reached it, however, Exeter had suddenly disappeared, and when Trunks turned around, Exeter's elbow caught him squarely in the forehead. Exeter laughed, but the blow had barely fazed Trunks, who responded by slamming his fist into Exeter's face, knocking him into the side of the crater and throwing up another large cloud of dust.

"That won't work, Exeter..." Trunks shouted, calling out to the bottom of the crater. "It's impossible to be stronger than me now!"

"I know," came a voice from behind Trunks. As soon as Trunks turned around, he could feel several large, needle-like energy beams stabbing into his body at various places, two into his chest, one into his arm, one into his leg, and one into his foot. The needles were attached to thick, glowing red energy tendrils, all originating from the same source: Exeter's left hand, now pulsating brightly with a red glow. "I have to be smarter."

Trunks screamed out in pain as a powerful electrical blast jolted his body, his blue electrical field now replaced by red sparks that slowly rose up from his body as the shocks continued to come, burning his entire lower body. Trunks could slowly feel his energy beginning to slip away as the shocks continued, more intense than ever.

"TRUNKS!" Sailor Mercury screamed, running into the center of the crater while still frantically scanning Exeter for weaknesses. "Hold on!"

"The 'me' you knocked into the bottom of the crater before was just an illusion... a magical decoy created by me to fool you and lure you into this, much more powerful attack," said Exeter, ignoring Sailor Mercury's anguished cries from below. "These red things you see here are my Seshiki cables, magical extensions of my body that rip all the energy from the victim's body... and you've got quite a lot of energy to rip, Trunks."

Trunks clenched his teeth, paralyzed by the pain now filling every inch of his frame, hundreds of tiny energy sparks flowing out of him every second, feeling like shurikens as Exeter's magic ripped them from his body.

"TRUNKS!!!" Sailor Mercury screamed again, tears once more beginning to stream down her face. "Stop hurting Trunks right now!"

Continuing to ignore Sailor Mercury, Exeter simply intensified his attack, causing even more sparks to flow out of Trunks' body. Trunks tried his hardest not to scream, knowing his cries of anguish would only stab like swords into the soul of his beloved, already having to suffer through seeing him in such a terrible predicament.

__

"Ami..." Trunks thought to Sailor Mercury, weariness even evident in his thoughts as he mentally called out to her. _"You... you have to go... I'll deal with Exeter... I..."_

"I found a weakness, Trunks," Sailor Mercury thought, beginning to compose herself. _"In his attack... the sparks are still your energy until they enter his Seshiki cables... so all you have to do is concentrate and focus them into an attack so that they hit Exeter and not the cables... it should produce quite a violent explosion when they collide with him, which will probably cause the attack to cease."_

"Concentrate my energy?" Trunks thought, wondering how he could possibly control the energy that had already been ripped from his body. _"But... how do I-"_

"The same way you taught me to do it, Trunks... you just have to focus... they've been stolen from your body, but if you concentrate hard enough, you should be able to control them... I believe in you, Trunks... you have to do this... I know you can!"

Trunks closed his eyes as tightly as he could, completely shutting out every thought in his mind. He could still feel the intense pain from Exeter's attack, but he dealt with that by thinking of the one thing that could take that pain away... he thought of Ami, and all the time they had spent together... and how brave and strong she was in battle, even now, helping him to defeat Exeter, coming to his rescue just as many times as he'd come for her... he hadn't wanted her to come, but now Trunks knew... now he knew he couldn't win without her. Not without her strength, not without her wisdom, not without her love... without them, Trunks was destined to lose. With them... Trunks was determined to win.

The red sparks all slammed into Exeter at once, detonating with enough force to blast both Trunks and Exeter back into the sides of the crater. While Trunks quickly recovered, standing up just a few seconds after he'd been blasted down, Exeter didn't move from where he'd landed, his body embedded in a large crack carved into the opposite side of the crater. His body had sustained severe burn damage from the incredible explosion, and he remained smoldering even as Trunks slowly walked over to him. Trunks' once prominent aura was now a gentle, blue, wispy flame, but his electrical field remained, sparking as strong as ever as Trunks walked across the crater.

__

"You did it, Trunks..." Sailor Mercury thought to him. _"I knew you could..."_

Trunks smiled at her, and then glanced down at Exeter, who was struggling to remain conscious, his eyes slowly blinking open and closed, his mouth emitting an audible groan.

"They said... they said... you were powerful..." Exeter gasped, his voice now raspy and weak, filled with pain. "I congratulate you... Saiyan..."

"I appreciate the compliment," Trunks said, pointing his palm out at Exeter and beginning to charge a ki blast. "But you still have to die."

Exeter groaned again, leaning his head back into what would be his final resting place as Trunks shot him with an enormous blast of ki, obliterating him once and for all, and carving out another large gash in the ground, giving the crater the shape of a cherry, if viewed from above. As soon as the blast had faded, Trunks could feel Exeter's energy no more, and knew that he had finally been defeated. Trunks slowly floated up to the side of the crater, landing next to Sailor Mercury before detransforming into his normal, purple-haired state. Sailor Mercury giggled, and then detransformed herself, back into pretty, smart, schoolgirl fuku-wearing Ami Mizuno.

"It's over..." said Trunks, smiling and wiping away the last tear from Ami's cheek. "Ami..."

Ami placed her finger to Trunks' lips, and then both of them knew that neither had to say anything more. They leaned in and kissed deeply as the last remnants of smoke and dust from the battle floated around them, the wind whipping at their battle-weary bodies, their hair gently flowing along for the ride.

---

The two walked through the door of Chris' house in Nihimo Town about fifteen minutes later, a few bandages applied to their more prominent wounds. Sailor Moon was the first to leap to her feet, first hugging Ami, and then Trunks, who muttered a silent 'ow' as Sailor Moon's arms wrapped around his aching and injured back.

"Looks like you guys came through after all!" said Sailor Venus, also standing up and walking over to greet them. "You... did come through, right? The bad guy's dead... right?"

"The bad guy is dead," said Trunks, offering up a proud smile. "And it's all thanks to Ami Mizuno, right here!"

Trunks pointed at Ami, who offered a modest giggle and shook her head.

"Trunks did most of the work... I just scanned Exeter for weaknesses and told Trunks what to do... well, just once, anyway. Other than that, it was all him, really!"

"I'm just glad you're both okay..." said Rose, walking over to Trunks and Ami and hugging both of them, just as Sailor Moon had done. "I could feel some of the energy pulses from that battle... and I was nearly overwhelmed! Trunks, what was that huge spike of energy you gained just a few minutes before the end of the fight? I've never felt anything like it in my life!"

__

"Should we tell them about my new Ascended Ultimate Super Saiyan stage now, or just wait for later?" Trunks thought. Ami giggled, and then nodded her head.

__

"You don't have to show them, but you can tell them... they might need to know about it for the next time you train with them."

"I just found a new stage of my power," said Trunks. "It's... sort of like the Ascended Super Saiyan state I transformed into to save Ami from Frieza, but... it's different. A lot different. It's when I ascend past my Ultimate Super Saiyan stage."

"You mean that big muscle-y thing?" Cammy asked, pretending to flex her own muscles. "You... you ascended past THAT?"

"I wonder what that must have looked like..." Sailor Jupiter said, curiously looking Trunks up and down. "Did your muscles get any bigger?"

"Just a little bit," said Ami, turning to face her brown-haired friend. "They couldn't have gotten much bigger than they already were, or Trunks would've popped like a balloon!"

"Good point," Sailor Jupiter replied. "Since there's no more danger, we should... probably detransform, am I right?"

Sailor Moon nodded, and the four Senshi quickly reverted back to their normal forms, just like Ami. Then, they resumed their conversation.

"So... what do you call this new form, Trunks?" asked Rei. "I'd assume you'd just call it Ultimate Super Saiyan 2, right? Or Ultimate Ascended Super Saiyan? Or maybe Ascended Ultimate Super Saiyan?"

"Does it really matter?" Trunks asked, a smile remaining on his face as he started to scratch his head. "I mean, as long as it can beat the bad guys, what does it matter what it's called?"

"It needs a cool name, that's why!" Cammy shouted. "How about... um... ooh, I got a good one! Super-Duper Super Saiyan! No, wait, how about... _Extreme _Super Saiyan! Like Ultimate, but even more than that, so it's _Extreme _Super Saiyan!"

__

"Extreme?" Ami thought, a puzzled look on her face as she glanced over at Cammy. _"What does Trunks look like, Tony Hawk?"_

"Oh, let them have their fun, Ami..." Trunks thought back to her, a warm smile on his face. _"The others seem to like Cammy's idea... and in the heat of battle, what's it going to matter what I'm called? I'm not actually going to go around calling myself an Extreme Super Saiyan or anything silly like that."_

"Okay then, Extreme Super Saiyan it is!" Ami declared, looking over at Trunks. "You agree, right?"

Trunks nodded, winking at Ami as he turned back to the others.

"Good suggestion, Cammy," Patrick said, hugging her as she let out a delightful squeal at Trunks and Ami's announcement. "I definitely wouldn't have thought of that one."

"You're not being sarcastic, are you?" asked Cammy, shooting Patrick a skeptical glare. He blinked, and Cammy's lips quickly curved back into a smile as she emitted an amused giggle. "Just kidding, Patrick..."

"This calls for a celebration of some sort..." said Chris' mom, walking out of the kitchen with a tray of cookies in hand. "I just baked these cookies, and I think there's enough here for everyone to have several, so... dig in!"

As everyone began feasting on the cookies, Trunks and Ami sat together in one of the couches, gratefully appreciating their wonderful time together, and the meal that both of them, at one point in the day, had thought they'd never get to experience again. They were together now, back with their friends, and finally getting a chance to experience a peaceful, enjoyable life once more. The evil was at last defeated, and the two lovers were now getting the reward they so rightly deserved. No, not the cookies so lovingly prepared by Chris' mother... but peace, a peace that Trunks and Ami could only hope would last them a good, long while.

---

Lita and Rose excused themselves early from the snacks, for they had a job to do, and they knew exactly what needed to be done. They walked out to the basketball court, where several girls, as well as a large group of boys, was eagerly waiting for them.

"The boys have been picking on us for the last fifteen minutes!" shouted one of the girls, pointing at a large, muscular boy dribbling the ball on one of the courts. "He's been the meanest one of all!"

"Sorry we got here a little late," said Lita, glancing over at the other court and staring right into the face of the large, muscular boy. "Hey, you!"

The boy turned and stared at Lita for several seconds.

"Yes, you!" shouted Lita, calling the boy, as well as the rest of his group, over to the court. "You guys ready to take us on?"

"I can't believe we're actually going to do this," said another, much less muscular boy, a redhead with a numerous amount of freckles on his slender face. "We've only played with girls like four times, and every single time we beat the crap out of them. Girls suck at basketball. It's not even fun to play them!"

"The only reason we're playing with you two now is because... um... why are we playing with them?" asked the big, muscular boy to the scrawny redhead beside him.

"Because-"

"Because we're hot, and we have big boobs, is _that _what you were going to say?" Rose shouted, angrily finishing the boy's sentence. The scrawny kid nodded meekly. "Figures."

Rose turned to Lita, a serious, angry stare on both girls' faces.

"Let's take these boys to school," Rose said, and Lita quickly nodded in agreement.

The game started soon afterward, with five players to a side on the court, and four boys starting out on the bench. Five girls began the game on the bench, but were quickly rotated in as the game went on, and Rose and Lita served as player-coaches, making sure each girl got to play an equal amount of time. They both even tried to sub themselves out, but the smaller girls on the team would have no part of it.

"You gotta stay in there!" said a precocious girl, about eleven years old, with short, black hair. "Those boys will kick our butts if you sub out!"

"But if we play all the time, it's not fair to the rest of you," Rose replied, and then with a whisper, said, "plus, I don't think it's very fair to the boys, either..."

"You've gotta stay in," the girl replied with a light giggle. "We're only up four points... you can't quit on us now!"

Rose heaved a long sigh, and then returned to the court, her long, pink hair flowing gracefully behind her. Obviously, she didn't use her powers during the game, wanting it to be as fair of a contest as possible, but as it turned out, she didn't need them. With Lita and Rose's help, the girls beat the boys by a score of 30-18, and there wasn't a single person on the losing team ready to except the humiliating loss.

"They cheated, I know they did!" shouted the scrawny, redheaded boy. "That pink-haired girl... she used those powers she has on the ball or something!"

"I most certainly did not," Rose replied, walking up to the boy with a sly smile on her face. "If I'd used my powers, this is the one I would've used."

Suddenly, the boy found himself pinned to the nearby chain-link fence, his arms and legs immobilized by glowing pink energy shackles. His friends desperately struggled to free him, but they had no luck whatsoever as Lita and Rose walked over to the rest of their team, giggling loudly.

"Those things aren't going to leave him up there all day, are they?" asked one of the girls. Rose smiled and gently shook her head.

"They'll dissolve on their own in fifteen minutes... they're not hurting him, either, I made sure of that."

"What about his mom? Won't she get mad?" asked another one of the girls, the black-haired girl who had tried to sub herself out for Rose earlier. Again, Rose shook her head.

"I already told his mom about how rude he was to me last time," Rose said, "and she gave me her permission to deal with him if he gets out of line. I'm sure she won't mind."

"Thank you... for helping us beat those mean boys!" shouted another one of the girls, hugging Lita tightly around the waist. Lita smiled and gently patted the girl on the head.

"You girls are welcome," Lita said. "We were looking forward to this, don't worry!"

Still giggling at the boys' efforts to free their perverted friend, Rose and Lita hugged several more of the girls before leaving the playground, waving and smiling the entire time.

---

After the cookies were finished, and the long, friendly conversations finally ended, Trunks, the eight girls (including Rose and Lita, who had gone back to Chris' house after the game), and Darien said their goodbyes to Chris and his mother before leaving Nihimo Town, headed back first to Trunks and Bulma's, and then at last to their homes in Juuban, where they were all sure their families were waiting for them. Just before leaving town, Angela spotted Chris, running toward them at the town entrance.

"Angela!" Chris shouted, running over to her and stopping right next to her, breathing heavily and leaning over the ground after he stopped, trying to catch his breath.

"Chris?" Angela asked, gently placing her hand under his chin and lifting up his head to get a better look at him. "You okay?"

Chris smiled and nodded, sweat pouring down his now crimson face as Angela lifted up his chin.

"Angela, I... I mean, if you're not doing anything tomorrow night, I'd like to... um... I'd like to visit your world and um... and go out on a date... with you."

"Whoa, Chris, where did that come from?" Trunks asked, glancing over and smiling at his friend.

__

"Guess Trunks isn't the only one here with a thing for blue-haired women..." Rose thought, looking back and forth between Chris and her sister.

"Sure!" Angela said, with a surprising amount of eagerness that even Chris hadn't been prepared for. "Tomorrow at... at eight o'clock, okay? Trunks, you'd take Chris to my house, wouldn't you?"

"Okay," said Trunks, having just reclaimed his teleportation wand from Ami. "You'll have to be ready, though, Chris... I'm not going to take you to the other dimension unless you look nice, you got it?"

Chris nodded, and then ran up and kissed Angela on the cheek, causing both of them to blush.

"Thanks, Angela... I promise I'll make it the best night ever!" Chris shouted as he ran back to town. "Thank you!"

Angela giggled again, her hand briefly touching the spot on her cheek where Chris had kissed her.

__

"Not much of a kisser, but he certainly is sweet..." Angela thought, her eyelids still fluttering. _"I think we're both going to enjoy our date!"_

After Chris' brief interruption, Trunks, Ami, and the others finally left Nihimo Town and returned to the Briefs' home.

---

"Trunks... oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Bulma hugged Trunks as soon as he walked through the door, noticing the extensive bandaging on his body.

"I should probably grow a few more Senzu Beans, shouldn't I?" Bulma asked, turning to Ami and hugging her as well. "You've got a couple of nasty scrapes too..."

"That's okay," said Rose, her hand beginning to light up with bright red energy. "I can heal both of them... they're not hurt too badly, so I won't be using _too _much of my energy..."

"I'm just glad you're both safe," said Bulma, looking back and forth between Trunks and Ami. "You defeated Exeter, once and for all?"

Trunks nodded, smiling at Bulma, and then at Ami.

__

"Once and for all... and forever..."

---

Long after Trunks and the others had returned, everyone except Trunks, Patrick, Ami, and Cammy had gone back to Juuban, and the four who had stayed had finished eating their supper, Cammy and Patrick were now alone in the upstairs guest room, sitting next to one another in wooden chairs next to the bed.

"So... how long are you going to be living here?" Cammy asked, gently stroking her short, green hair away from her face.

"Until Trunks, Bulma, and I build a house in Nihimo Town for me to live in," Patrick said, smiling. "Now that Exeter's been defeated, we'll be able to work pretty quickly... and I'll probably have a home built in a couple of weeks."

"Now the town's finally getting someone to live there permanently and watch for monsters and stuff!" Cammy said. "I'm glad... now Nihimo Town will never be caught off-guard again!"

"I hope Nihimo Town never even gets attacked again..." Patrick said, a serious look appearing on his face. "This world's been through too much already... kind of like you, Cammy..."

"Hmm?" Cammy asked, a puzzled look on her face. "What do you-"

"You've... you've suffered through so much in your life... being forced to work for Crysthea, being killed by Frieza in a horrible manner... being kidnapped by me and... and..."

Cammy's fingers flew to Patrick's hand, gripping it tightly and squeezing as Patrick bowed his head, beginning to tremble as he recalled yet again the horrible things he'd inflicted on the kind, sweet girl now seated right next to him.

"And it's over now, Patrick... the evil's gone... and you're good now... and we're friends... right, Patrick?"

Patrick smiled, and then nodded, wrapping his arms around Cammy's back in a gentle embraced.

"Thank you... Cammy..."

"Thank you, Patrick... _you're more than a friend... I think I may have fallen in love with you... but I don't know yet... I'll tell you when I'm absolutely sure."_

---

That night, Ami and Trunks sat alone out on the roof of the tall building where Ami and her mother lived together in their apartment. Ami's mother had been ecstatic to see Trunks and Ami again, and would have made supper for them had they not already had supper at Bulma's house. Instead, the three talked for nearly a half-hour, Ami's mother tearfully telling Trunks what she had told Ami before... they shared a special bond, Trunks and Ami... a bond that she knew would last for the rest of their lives. And now, as Trunks and Ami sat on that roof, the stars above them, staring out into the beautiful skyline of Tokyo before them, holding hands as the cool night air surrounded them both.

"We are.... we are two parts of the same whole, Ami... just like your mother said..." Trunks said, smiling as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "You'll always be a part of me, Ami..."

Ami smiled back, gently stroking her hand across Trunks' face and kissing him briefly on the lips.

"I love you with all of my heart and soul... and I always will," Ami replied. "Trunks, I... when I went to the battle, I... I... you told me to stay away, Trunks, and-"

"Ami... don't think you have to do something or not do something because I tell you to," said Trunks, his gentle touch bringing an incredible, uplifting feeling to Ami where his skin made contact with hers. "I was trying to protect you, but... I was really trying to protect myself, from having to see you hurt... I knew you were strong enough to help me, but... it was selfish of me to ask you to stay away, Ami..."

Ami shook her head, and again kissed Trunks on the lips.

"I know what you were trying to do, Trunks... and I appreciate that you want me to be safe... and I know now that you know exactly how I felt whenever you were hurt..."

"I couldn't have beaten Exeter without you there," said Trunks. "That's the entire truth."

"Trunks..."

Trunks and Ami kissed again, and then a second time, their lips gently but firmly pressing together, Ami's body leaning into Trunks' chest as the two kissed again and again, the stars above illuminating their passion against the blessed night sky.

---

"Now just push your energy off of the ground... you've got it, Ami... you've got it..."

Ami, transformed into Sailor Mercury, looked down and gasped in amazement as her feet slowly lifted up off of the ground, her magical energy pressing down on the earth and lifting her entire body slowly upward.

"Trunks, I'm doing it... I'm doing it... I'm flying!"

With one final push of energy, Sailor Mercury lifted rapidly off of the ground, her body jettisoning hundreds of feet into the air. She screamed and quickly cut off the energy flow, her body now beginning to plummet to the ground. She panicked and flared up her energy again, this time pushing forward with a surprising amount of speed. Trunks chuckled at her as she clumsily jetted in different directions for several seconds before finally coming to a gentle stop, landing on the ground just a few feet away from Trunks.

"That was incredible... I did it, Trunks!" Sailor Mercury shouted happily, leaping into Trunks' arms and wrapping him up in a tight embrace. "I did it... I did it... I flew! It was the greatest thing, Trunks, the most incredible experience of my entire life!"

"That's exactly how I felt the first time Gohan taught me to fly," Trunks said, smiling at Sailor Mercury, his heart delighting with her joy. "Now this time, try to have a bit more control, okay?"

Sailor Mercury nodded, and slowly lifted up off of the ground, this time in full control of her energy as it pushed her skyward. She stopped just a hundred feet in the air, hovering in place and beckoning Trunks up to her.

"Trunks, the view is great up here! I can see your house!" Sailor Mercury said with a giggle. A second later, Trunks was hovering next to her.

"Yeah, but that's because it's only a few yards away," said Trunks, pointing to his house almost directly below. "Hi, mom!"

Bulma, who had been making lunch at the time, poked her head out the window and waved to Trunks and Sailor Mercury.

"Wow, Ami... how's the air up there?" Bulma shouted excitedly. "That's great that you can fly! I wish I could!"

With a smile, Bulma retreated through the window, returning to her work inside the kitchen.

"If she had just a little bit more energy, I could probably teach her to fly, but it would take a lot longer than it did to teach you, Ami..." Trunks said, looking back at her. "Took a lot less time than I thought it would, Ami!"

"Well, I've gained a lot of energy since I began training with you, Trunks," Sailor Mercury said, smiling as she glanced down at the ground below. "This... this really is incredible... you've given me such a wonderful gift, Trunks..."

"I'll probably teach the others tomorrow," said Trunks, gently clasping Ami's right hand in both of his own. "I'm... I'm glad you're happy, Ami... you don't know how happy that makes _me _feel..."

"I know exactly how much it does, Trunks... because that's why _I'm _so happy..."

"You've given me an incredible gift too, Ami..." Trunks said, releasing her hand and gently placing it around her shoulder. "Every time I see you smile..."

A tear streaked down Ami's face, and Trunks gently caught it on his other hand, gently touching his finger to the tip of her nose.

"Thank you... so much, Trunks..." Ami whispered, wrapping her arm around Trunks and leaning in to kiss him. "I love you..."

They floated in the air in each other's arms, kissing for nearly a full minute before finally lowering slowly to the ground, their lips mingling the entire way down.

---

"He is as strong as you say," said Sunzeki to a figure wrapped in shadow, seated at a chair in the center of what was known to everyone in the Galactic Research Armada as 'headquarters'. "Exeter couldn't possibly have known the power contained within that Saiyan's body. At least he accepted death... unlike those fools, Pandemonium and Nikashi."

"And he will continue to get stronger," replied a deep voice from the shadows. "As I hope he will."

"I could sense his strength with every blow, every blast... he was stronger than I, and I will train every single day to match his strength. Although, for the purposes of our research... it would be much better if he remained my superior."

"Yet you _must _continue to test him... we must see how far Trunks' strength goes."

"Perhaps you will get to test his strength yourself some day."

"I'm looking very much forward to it, Sunzeki... but surely it is a day that Trunks and Ami truly fear."

"By the time this is all over... they will both suffer more than they can possibly imagine."

"For the purposes of our research... they can count on it."

****

TO BE CONCLUDED

---

Don't let that get you wrong... this fanfic itself is over. The story, however, will be concluded in the last fic of the trilogy... "Testing The Chaos Theory". Look for it in the Dragonball Z/Sailor Moon section sometime in 2005! So many questions remain to be answered... but I hope that this fic is still satisfying to the readers! I enjoyed writing it very much, and I hope you all enjoyed it just as well! Thanks to all of my readers!


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